Tropical Depression 10 formed Aug. 26 and became Tropical Storm Idalia Aug. 27.
Early Aug. 28, Idalia was intensifying, moving northward and west of Cuba. Tracking from the National Hurricane Center indicated the storm would build into a hurricane before making landfall on Florida’s Gulf coast.
Manatee County issued a mandatory evacuation effective at 2 p.m. of its level A zones, including all of Anna Maria Island, Cortez, Perico and other coastal areas.
“Our primary concern at this point is storm surge,” Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge said Aug. 28. “Coastal residents need to heed our warnings.”
The county also opened three emergency shelters.
Idalia became a hurricane Aug. 29 and continued to intensify as it moved in the Gulf.
Idalia became a category 4 Aug. 30 but diminished to a category 3 before it made landfall at 7:45 a.m. that day along the Big Bend coast near Keaton Beach. Maximum sustained winds were about 125 mph.
Manatee County saw impacts from Idalia as the storm passed about 100 miles west in the Gulf of Mexico Aug. 29-30. The most intense wind was overnight but floodwaters and rain continued to impact the area into the afternoon Aug. 30.
The evacuation orders were lifted at 2 p.m. Aug. 30 and the Anna Maria Island and Cortez bridges reopened, allowing people to return to the island, about 4:30 p.m. that day.
In Manatee, rainfall was estimated at 3-4.5 inches and the highest wind gusts were estimated at 67 mph and sustained winds at 37 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Storm surge was forecast at 3-7 feet, as Idalia’s impact on the coast was compounded by king tides Aug. 30.
Returning to the coast, residents and business owners found resculpted shorelines, debris littered yards, flooded roads and parking lots and some water intrusion in structures.
Manatee County’s preliminary countywide damage estimate exceeded $2 million but there were no injuries reported.
— Lisa Neff
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