Tropical Storm Idalia has moved off the coast of North Carolina. The storm battered the southeastern U.S. coastline Wednesday after slamming into Florida earlier in the day as a major hurricane.
Idalia rolled through parts of Georgia and South Carolina, causing flooding and widespread of power outages. A storm surge warning was in effect late Wednesday from the Savannah River northward to the South Santee River in South Carolina.
Tornado warnings were issued for counties across South Georgia as the storm system moved through.
At least three storm-related deaths were reported in Florida in Georgia.
Two men died in a storm-related wreck in Florida, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. In Georgia, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told reporters a tree fell on a man who had been cutting another tree that was on a highway, killing him.
Storm surge
The King Tide increased the impacts of flooding along the Carolina coast. Tide levels reached over 9 feet in Charleston Harbor and breached the city’s seawall. The dunes at Edisto were also breached, with water flowing under homes and onto roadways, Charleston news outlets reported.
In Goose Creek near Charleston, a driver captured video of a car being lifted off the road and slamming into another vehicle. Officials with the Goose Creek Police Department said a Honda Accord was traveling on US 52 when a gust of wind lifted the car and flipped it onto another vehicle.
Two people inside the Accord were treated for minor injuries.
Berkeley County’s Emergency Manager and the National Weather Service said the car was hit by a brief, weak tornado. No other damage was reported.
Strongest storm in over a century to hit Big Bend area
Idalia initially slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast at about 7:45 a.m. on August 30 as a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds. It was the strongest storm to hit the Big Bend region of Florida in more than 125 years.
Idalia remained a hurricane as it tore into Georgia with winds at 90 mph. It eventually slowed and was downgraded to a tropical storm as it reached South Carolina.
Moderate river flooding, with considerable impacts, will continue across coastal North Carolina throughout the day Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says.
Tropical storm conditions will continue across eastern North Carolina through Thursday evening, the center says. Coastal flooding is expected to continue along the North Carolina coast through the day.
