As Hurricane Idalia churns toward the Great Bend of Florida, it is expected to strengthen to a Category 3 or, possibly, a Category 4 Storm, fueled by the excessively warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Damage along the Florida Coast will result primarily from storm surge, forecast to reach 15 feet in some areas.
There is no doubt that global warming is increasing the power of hurricanes and augmenting their effects on both coastal and inland communities and ecosystems. Higher sea levels, warmer ocean waters and the increasing water content of warm air all play a role, exacerbating the effects of storm surge, wind damage and inland flooding.
While Idalia will likely make landfall along the Great Bend of Florida, its effects will extend far inland, across northern Florida, southern Georgia and the Carolinas. Indeed, it could re-strengthen off the Southeastern Coast, producing storm surge in that region as well.
