Idalia is a Category 3 hurricane at landfall on Florida’s Big Bend

Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning as a Category 3 storm on Florida’s west coast.

The storm came ashore near Keaton Beach in the Big Bend region at 7:45 a.m. with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Water levels along Florida’s Gulf Coast were rising rapidly.

On Idalia’s approach, sustained winds of 61 mph were recorded at Keaton Beach and water levels more than 5 feet above average were recorded at Cedar Key, according to the Hurricane Center. AJC hurricane tracker page