- [announcer] do you have an invention idea but don't know what to do next? call invent help today. they can help you get started with your idea. call now 800-710-0020. good wednesday morning and we start with the pbreaking new we've been following and will continue to follow for hours to come. hurricane idalia is now a powerful category 3 hurricane and it is expected to strengthen

to a category 4 storm before it makes landfall in just hours on florida's big bend. you are looking at live pictures from cedar key where the rain is whipping sideways and whipping hard. idalia is less than a 100 miles away from the chore churning with 120-mile-per-hour winds. forecasters are not mincing words. they describe it as dangerous, life threatening oig and a once in a lifetime storm that could bring catastrophic storm surge of up to 16 feet in some places. we got new forecasts from the national hurricane center and we have team coverage from the florida gulf coast. sara sidner is down by the water in crystal river. and it is a very different pibt from what we saw yesterday. what are you seeing on the the ground right now? >> reporter: we are starting to feel some of those bands. we are getting the wind now. we have also seen the rain as well. and of course the water extremely choppy and rising. now, i want to get straight over

to derek van dam. he is joining us from tampa. every hour we get an update from the national hurricane organization. please let us know what is the latest forecast for hurricane idalia? >> reporter: well, you are starting to feel the system as well as much as we are. but we are on a highly susceptible road, this is called bay shore drive. and we're approaching high tide which is roughly 4:00 in the morning, 4:07 to exact. and we're staring down the eye of a monster. latest satellite shows it is 125-mile-per-hour, a powerful category 3. and we're teetering on a category 4 hurricane here. but i want to show you around, look at bay shore drive, this is normally filled with vehicles closer to around 5:00 in the morning or approaching early morning rush hour in tampa. and of course that won't be

taking place today because you cannot drive over this road. locals understand and know that bay shore drive floods regularly. but this is tidal storm surge and exactly what the national hurricane center had warned the public about, to stay away from this particular area. we did venture several blocks inland and we're also noticing that the surge which is about 1 to 2 feet has made its way a couple city blocks away from bay shore drive. this area that normally has a sidewalk completely inundated with water. and i'll show you down an interaction of section that is just up the road here. you can see the waves crashing up and over the seawall. quite dramatic by the traffic signal behind me over my right hand shoulder. and when we talk about the storm surge threat in tampa bay, they lowered it by one foot, 4 to 6 feet for this particular location. but regionally we know that the storm surge threat is greatest across the great bend area.

and that is where we anticipate this land falling major hurricane in the coming hours. and they upped the forecasts to almost 12 to 16 feet. that is catastrophic for storm surge. if you have not left, this is your last moment of time before the conditions really start to deteriorate from cedar key north to saint marks. and looking at this latest forecast model from the national hurricane center, it is very telling to show what the potential outcome of the cedar key region is, anywhere from complete inundation to water well over my head in that part of the town. so it will be telling when the sun comes up to really see the impacts from this hurricane, the big bend area, appalachia bay region. here in tampa bay we're feeling it with surge, but it will be more catastrophic further north you travel.

>> reporter: and i find it remarkable because you are not even anywhere near the eye of the storm, but you are getting these intense winds. what have you been seeing throughout the evening? just progressively it changes. every now and then it gets calm and then all of a sudden you get this burst of wind and then these really strong showers. give us some sense of that progression. >> reporter: yeah, you make such a good point here. we literally are maybe 150 miles to the south and east of the core of this hurricane. so that just proves the point that we harped on yesterday, that impacts will be felt well away from the center of the storm. the center of the hurricane. which we know is the most powerful part of a hurricane. but the fact that we're getting this amount of push from the tampa bay and gulf of mexico into populated areas like tampa, several dozen miles away from the center of the storm, really

tells you something. this storm will have wide reaching impacts for the entire western coastline of the florida peni peninsula, and so much time and energy to push this water into the little nooks and crannies of all those west facing shorelines of the gulf of mexico here on the florida peninsula. so we expect conditions here to remain as is through high tide for the next hour or so. we'll see the tide start to fall throughout the course of the morning but another high tide cycle around 2:00 this afternoon. and by the way this is made worse by the impacts of what is a super moon. so we have a greater tug, a greater tidal swing. so that will exascerbate the threats. >> and this is phil in new york. for context for viewer, where you are standing, that is a central organ for commuter, a central roadway in tampa if you

are familiar with the area at all. and given the fact that the direct hit people were fearing for tampa has shifted away, you think that maybe it won't be affected that much. but you are talking i think you said 4 to 6 feet on a surge in that area where you are standing right now, which is not in the direct path of the hurricane, it is about 100 miles offshore right now. can you talk to people what 4 to 6 feet even that far away from the direct path of the storm would actually mean? >> reporter: look, there is the seawall over my left hand shoulder here. and that is normally the barrier for the tampa bay water to stay at bay. literally away from bay shore drive. yes, we know that this floods, but 4 to 6 feet of water has pushed up and over the seawall, so it had a bit of wiggle room to work with. but we're realizing that 4 to 6 foot storm surge as this continuous pounding of wind comes in. and another factor here too is

that localized inland flooding is a possibility as well. so not only are we getting the surge and the push of water into tampa bay, the major artery here being bay shore drive, bullpen we've got heavy rainfall occurring within the city, within the town. that water wants to exit into the tampa bay. so what happens? well, the two waters kind of collide. the coastal water, the storm surge, and the inland flooding. and what do they do? water seeks its own level, so it goes up and that is what we anticipate to take place here in the coming minutes and hours. >> derrick van damage, thank you for showing us what is happening there in tampa . it is important for people to get out of the areas. and we'll check back in with

you. i appreciate it. and i want to let you know where i am, i'm about 80 miles from where derek van dam is in tampa. i'm in crystal river. we are north of derek and then another 50 miles away, so we're closer to where the eye of the storm is, another 50 miles away is where cedar key is which is supposed to get a direct hit. but look at what happens. earlier today it was pouring down line. and then it was gusting and now it is relatively calm. this is what happens in a hurricane. i do want to give you some sense of exactly where this place is and the people who live here. let me give you a little bit of look. this is where they bring boats. this is the home of florida's beloved manatee. you can go and be in the water around the man iatees here and lot of people come here for it that. but it is a small place and i want to give you an idea of what

we're talking about, how high this water may go. come with me, adolfo, he will show you, you will see a lot of the grass here that has been pushed up and out of waters here. but i want to give you some sense of this sign. because we talk about in this area, it is predicted between 7 and 9 foot storm surge. i am 5'9". so at the top of this, we are talking almost two of these. this may be under water when this major storm surge happens. and that is why people are being told you are not going to well if you stay in a place that is this low. by the way all of crystal city as we move past and go back towards the water as it is a wonderful and beautiful place when things are calm and no hurricane coming, but all of crystal river, the entire town,

is under a flood zone. and that is why authorities here have said get out, get out now, please make your way to some higher ground. it doesn't have to be 100 miles away. it can be just a few miles away. but you want to get up to slightly higher ground because this entire city is in a flood zone. this is a city or a town of about 3400 people. we did notice last night a lot of people boarding up their homes. there are homes very, very close to this water because it is such a beautiful place to live. but people understand here that there is a true danger. they have been through this before. but they have never seen the storm surge that is predicted for this place. est it highest it has gotten is about 4 feet and we're talking now 7 to 9 feet of flooding here. so we really want to make sure

that people understand the danger. phil. >> yeah, it is so important. i feel like there have been a number of hurricanes headed towards that region over the course of the last several years and some have not reached the scale or the intensity as predicted, which is a good thing i would note. and therefore perhaps people are not reacting, some of the urgency we've heard from first responders we've been talking to over the last 24 hours, that we would like. not entirely the case, but i think that there is a reaction based on history. and you talk about history and you had governor ron desantis saying we haven't seen anything like this in that particular area in more than a century. the one he question i have from where you are, we've been showing the split screen between cedar key and you, cedar key, the rain is whipping through sideways, that is one of the areas directly in the path. but i was also watching your live shot before we went on air and to your point, it ebbed and flowed.

it was raining, a lot of wind and then slowed down. i think the scale of this in terms of covering 80, 90, 120, 130 miles, 80 miles from where you compared to the direct hit, i'm not sure people can get their heads around it and what you are describing there. preparation-wise, do they feel like they are ready for this moment? >> a lot of people have been through a lot of something that is similar. but never this intense in these areas. but when they do deal with things, like tropical storms, sometimes it is something that is far smaller that does quite a bit of damage. and certainly a ton of flooding because this area is so low, because this area is basically at sea level, the entire town knows that it can be inundated with water. maybe it is a couple feet, maybe it is four, maybe five. once it is at that point, it is way up and into homes. there is worry that it will get up into city hall for example. so the authorities here and the

people who live here, they are not used to something like this because this is almost a once in a lifetime event for them. but they are very aware of what can happen with the flooding. and look, here is the absolute truth, that there will always be people who say i'm not leaving my home, this is what i know, whatever happens happens. but here is the problem with that. if you have never seen an event like this, if this turns out to be 7 to 9 foot storm surge, those people will need to be rescued. and that is why authorities are saying we cannot come help you during this storm when it is at its height, when waters are rising. we don't want you to be in a position where you are literally trying to save your own life, going on the top of roofs for example. so they are trying to get people to understand that they may never have seen something that is this extreme. >> and you make that point in terms of the intensity and scale of what we're looking at right now, lack of precedence certainly in the near term. we just got the latest update

from the national hurricane center. winds now at 125 miles per hour. that is 5 miles per hour away from being labeled a category 4 storm. that is the prediction that it will intensify from a category 3 to a category 4. now just five miles away from that when you look at the heart of this hurricane that is headed towards the gulf coast and towards the florida region at the moment. so it is serious, it is significant, it is as big as they were expecting in the scale right now as we've been talking kind of up and down the course of where you are, certainly something that you not only need to pay attention to, heed the warnings of, but kind of batten down the hatches to some degree. this is coming within the next couple of hours. and we'll be going back and forth over the next several hours, talking to derek van dam again as well. we have team coverage including in the direct path of this hurricane as it approaches florida. there is no question that it is big, very dangerous. and you can use pretty much any

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i'm live in crystal river florida, we're about 50 miles from where the eye of the storm is. we're about 80 miles from tampa. so kind of in the middle there of northwest florida. i want to give you a sense of what is going on here. we're in one of the lulls where the bands of wind and the bands of rain, they come and go. we are starting to get another one of those bands, i can sort of feel and you may hear the wind kick up now once again and we expect there to be another band of rain coming through. the big fear here in crystal river is that this town of about

3500 people is in a flood zone. the entire town is in a flood zone. and this is something that they may have never seen in their lifetime. if predictions come true, we're talking about 7 to 9 feet of storm surge. i am standing atwater level. i am 5'9". we're talking about something that is far over my head which is why all of the homes on either side of me would be inundated with water there telling people that they must get out of this zone. really they should have left last night. they were telling people to please evacuate, don't get caught in this. but it is still possible to get out of the storm's way. they don't have to go far, but they do need to get away from these low lying areas. we are joined by aaron who is a hurricane hunter who has been chasing this storm, watching this storm, seeing the way that this storm is forming and giving

us all information that we really need as to what is happening with this storm. you can can you hear me, sir? >> yes, i can hear you. >> give us some sense of where you are, first off, and thank you so much for coming on. we appreciate what you do because it is so important to give data back to everyone on the ground so we can understand what is happening with the storm. you can tell me what you are seeing and experiencing. >> so i'm here where appears to be an area that will take the brunt of hurricane idalia, now a major category 3, expected to be category 4 when it makes landfall here in the next five to six hours. and we've started to get rain. we have a steady rain here in perry, it started several hours ago and i'm starting to see the rain that is starting to fall at an angle, so those winds are starting to increase now.

[ inaudible ]. >> aaron, you can cutting out a little bit. i know that happens because the rain can hit you sideways and so it can be really, really uncomfortable. feels like little pins in your face when you get hit with that at the wind speeds that are about to happen here. i am going to leave you where you are. please be safe as these bands of rains and went come in. and i want to go to derek van dam who is in tampa, like independenti said i'm about 80 miles north of where you are and you are experiencing the bands in a significant way. anyone who thought that just because they aren't in the eye of the storm that they may get away with not seeing any major effects, you can show where you are because that is absolutely not true at this hour. >> reporter: yeah, 100%, sara. this is exactly what we feared.

storm surge 4 to 6 feet within the tampa bay region. we're on bay shore drive, very kind of dramatic scene unfolding behind us. now, this would normally be a major artery through tampa bay and the apartments and buildings just to our south. but what you are seeing is a completely deserted roadway. this is a road i'm standing on and look at the waves crashing over the shoreline there. this is quite a scene. this is storm surge, 4 to 6 feet. and just because we were or are 150 miles away from the center of the strongest part of idalia doesn't mean that we are not going to have the impacts. and it is not just along the immediate coast. any local native to tampa bay understands that bay shore drive floods when it rains. it happens. however, this is a different kind of water. this is all storm surge, a push from the ocean, and that push has made its way up city blocks as well. so we'll pan a little bit this

way and show you some of the homes that are quite susceptible to this just within the past 45 minutes since we've been here, the water has come up and over this boulevard. you can see it here kind of the marshy area and it also impacted the other side of bay shore boulevard which goes in the opposite direction away from downtown. and you can see these homes, the water is starting to lap up into their front yards. listen, high tide was about 15 minutes ago. so we do expect that the water level should slowly start to come down before another high tide cycle occurs later this afternoon. but sara, this is all working in coordination together. not only the push of water from idalia, but also high tide and a super moon which gives that greater tug on the tidal cycles here across the bay and into the eastern gulf of mexico. the storm continues to strengthen even if you are well away from the center of this storm. this is proof this storm could

impact you, take it seriously, stay off the roads this morning. >> derek, thank you for showing people what is happening there and why they have been asked to stay away from the low lying areas. they won't be able to traverse them with any amount of safety. i do want to talk to you about the tide. because this is an unusual event all coming together as a hurricane coming to an area that is not used to getting these large of storms having a direct hit from them. you can give us some sense of what that high tide is, the king tide is it is called if i'm correct, because of what is happening with the alignment of the planets and as this hurricane is coming which is why the storm surge -- correct me if i'm wrong, but why the storm surge will be so incredibly dangerously high. >> reporter: so this king tide and the super moon play a major impact here along with the winds that are pushing up the ocean from the gulf of mexico.

but the earth is -- well, the moon i should say is literally 18,000 miles closer than it normally is on its rotation around the earth. so that is called a super moon, it appears larger in the sky especially when it is on the horizon, but it also has the greater force on our tidal cycles across the planet. and we're feeling the impacts of that closer proximity to the moon. so we have a combination of strong winds from a major hurricane pushing up the waters from the gulf of mexico into the tampa bay region. we have also inland flooding, so heavy rain in the town of tampa bay and elsewhere across the florida peninsula, that water wants to exit the land back into the ocean. of course those waters meet together. what happens? the water levels start to rise. so we've got a push, we have a pull from the inland communities of the inland flooding and the water continues to rise being made worse by the fact that we have a full moon, king tide and super moon all at the same time.

>> it is an unbelievable combination. you would think it would be a beautiful combination. and it is beautiful which is why a lot of people think that they can stay and ride it out. but we are only seeing the beginnings of this. this is the light part of the storm believe it or not where you are and certainly where i am. thank you so much for your reporting. we'll be checking back with you as the national hurricane center comes up with its next forecast within the next half an hour or so. let's get back to phil. thank you, derek van dam. >> certainly going to be back and forth with you guys throughout the course of the morning. we'll keep you updated on the latest. what we know right now based on the latest update, winds for the hurricane that is currently a category 3 hurricane now at 125 miles per hour. that is just shy of the category 4 designation which is 130 miles per hour or more. certainly headed in that direction. that is where it has been predicted to go. we'll be keeping an eye on that.

we're watching path always it heads towards florida. and just ahead, we'll talk to someone in the county right by tallahassee, right at the top of big bend. the public information officer from the sheriff's office up there. we'll speak to them shortly. stay with us. much more from that and much more from people on the ground and many more updates as it hurricane intensifies and approaches.

goli, taste your goals. we're following breaking news this morning, a very big story, very big storm. florida is bracing for hurricane idalia which is rapidly intensifying as it nears landfall. it is currently category 3 with

winds of 125-mile-per-hour just shy of a category 4 storm. the storm currently 60 miles from the state's capital of tallahassee, florida. and 90 miles west of cedar key where they have measured sustained tropical storm-force winds and gusts of 47 miles per hour. florida's west coast is already being whipped by the outer bounds of the storm. streets are flooding and already impacting roadways. tornado watches are in effect for 7 million people across western florida and flood watches are in effect for 21 million people across florida, georgia and the carolinas. for more, let's turn now to the public information office lieutenant yarborough. landfall will happen soon. there has been a lot of preparation leading up to this moment. where do the efforts stand, what still needs to be done before

landfall occurs? >> in our county at least, we're kind of in a wait and see. you know, i was speaking to one of my colleagues earlier that it is a question of bad or worse for us depending on what moves the storm makes now will depend greatly on what kind of effects we see in our particular county. >> and last several years there have been a lot of storms that have headed this direction but haven't been as bad as they could have been. do you feel like people are responsive to the threat here, they have been responsive to the concerns and warnings you all have laid out? >> i think so. hurricane michael wasn't that long ago. a lot of people in this area, we certainly felt the effects of hurricane michael but not as much as the counties to our west. but that is still very much in a

lot of people's minds. i feel like we had a pretty good spoons from citizens especially in the coastal and low lying areas that when we issued the mandatory evacuations, we got a good response. people took it seriously. and we understand with this storm there wasn't as much time to prepare, but, you know, we feel like our efforts have been heeded pretty well. >> and this strikes me it would be a difficult moment for somebody in your position and your team where you are kind of waiting to see, hoping for the best, having prepared for the worst. given that kind of reality of this moment, what are your biggest concerns right now? >> certainly with any coastal community in florida or anywhere, storm surge is the biggest concern. that is the biggest cause of damage and potentially loss of life. so beyond that kind of general issue that we're dealing with, we're very much focused on the

path of this storm. it might sound cliché, but as it gets closer inland, 15, 20 miles to the east or to the west will have a huge impact to the amount of effects in what we feel in wakula county. >> and one of the concerns is the immediate aftermath when the storm is actually through. what is your message to residents once this storm passes, what should they be concerned about in those moments? >> well, we ask our citizens, and in any county where citizens might be watching this, if they are affected, stay home. if you didn't evacuate and you are in the affected area, don't try to assess the damage yourself. we understand the curiosity and interest in doing so. but emergency responders' first priority in these situations is to get roadways cleared, to do damage assessment. and then to help citizens who may be trapped. and it is made all the more

difficult if other people are on the roadway clogging up those areas. and it hinders the ability of people like linemen to come in and begin to restore power. >> and i know it is a very busy morning and also to some degree a nerve-racking morning. we appreciate your time. and i would say if there are messages that you need to get out, if you feel like things need to be paid attention to, let us know and we'll absolutely talk to you whenever you think that it is a necessity. we appreciate your time, sir. >> will do. thank you. now i want to toss it back over to derek who is keeping up updated on the macro picture and also on the grounds th there in tampa. we've seen the effects 130 miles away from the direct path. derek, what are you seeing right now? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. even though we're well away from the most powerful part of major hurricane idalia, we have seen the storm surge push into the tampa bay, flood bay shore drive

and now starting to threaten city blocks inland as well. you can see the water literally lapping up to the front yards and the front steps of this home behind me. we'll be live talking about storm surge and its impacts across tampa bay, but also into the big bend coming up after the break. we have more to show you. stick around.

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and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. i'm sara sidner here in crystal river, florida which is an entire town that is in the flood zone. so ostensibly people here have evacuated, we know that lot of people have left and they have boarded up as hurricane idalia makes its way to shore. right now we are in a little bit of a calm, just a few minutes ago there was a big burst of wind. we're starting to see the bands as well. we are basically standing where

a lot of the boats and tourism happens here. although it is a small town about 3400 people, a lot of people come here for one thing, they come to see the spring which is gorgeous crystal water and the manatees. but right now, you are hearing sort of the squeaking, things are moving because the water table here is so high and such a lee low, low place that even city hall could be impacted if the storm surge hits at what is expected, which is between 7 and 9 feet. that would be well over my head if the storm surge hit this is place the way they think it might. o everyone of course hoping that we don't see that kind of storm surge, but you can't take the chance. so authorities have told everyone in this town to evacuate and get to hire gher

ground. and let's go to derek van dam why tampa where it is already flooding. >> reporter: this is definitely storm surge from major hurricane idalia. and just to set the scene here, it has been quite dramatic all morning. we've seen the water levels rise within the past hour since we've been here, waves crashing up and over this barrier seawall. we get sprayed every couple of minutes. this, folks, is what 4 to 6 feet of coastal storm surge looks like in tampa bay. you can see the wave action pounding over the coastal seawall there. so the storm surge from hurricane idalia, which by the way is over 120 miles away from the center where i'm located now. so even though this system is well off into the gulf of mexico, well beyond the tampa bay where i'm located, we are still feeling its impacts and its fury because there is just so much water that has pushed

up. remember, there is a couple things working in unison today not only do we have the storm surge from the push of the water from a major hurricane, but we have inland flooding as well. so inland flooding being made worse by a super moon cycle and the high tide, all working in unison to help raise the water levels here on bay shore drive. look, if you ask any local in bay shore -- that lives on bay shore drive in tampa bay, which is a major thoroughfare for this city, they know that it can flood quite easily, but this is different, this is storm surge and that means it is associated with a tropical system. and this is an interesting perspective as well. here we are underneath the intersection. the winds not too strong at the moment, but we have had these occasional tropical storm gusts. but i want you to see how the water is lapping up at the edge of the yard of some of these homes. the water has pushed up the roadways at least one block inland that we've seen.

so this is significant for tampa bay. and the impacts here will be great. you can just pan down bay shore drive, both sides of this beautiful, beautiful boulevard have been completely swamped and overturn by the sea. just incredible to witness this. remember, we've got high tide that just occurred. and there is another spray, you will see that was from the coastal seawall, that is about 50 to 75 feet over my cameraman's right shoulder. so you can just imagine the winds and the water being pushed up and over that area. so just incredible sights here. people are familiar with it, but still unnerving sight if you are witnessing this from your home outside your window. >> let us hope that people have gotten to higher ground. there is a reason why people live in the tampa bay area and in places like crystal river because they want to be near the water and it is a beautiful place to live until it is not. and that storm surge happens. we ask hear the winds pushing

that water and probably pushing you guys around as those bands come in. thank you so much for your reporting. we'll check back in with you in just a bit. i want to get to allison chinchar who has some very cool ways to illustrate what we're going to see and what is going to happen as this storm, this monster storm, hits shore. >> that's right. so the thing is, we just saw what it looks like with derek out live as the water is starting to begin to rise. but the real question is what does it looks like as we start to see more of that water rise. you can see the waves crashing in along the beach toward the homes. by # f2 feet, it creeps awfully close to the house. by 4 feet, you are starting to get enundays inside homes and businesses. but we're not stopping at 4 feet. you will have some areas that pick up as much as 12 feet. so now you are talking the entire first story of a home or a business is now under water from all of that water flowing in. and i know that is hard to

conceptualize, that that probably won't happen, but 12 feet is expected. when we look at the map showing exactly where all of this water is expected to go, yes, there are areas where you are going to see 12 if not even more than 12 feet across these areas. basically east of saint marks, all the way down through cedar key, we're forecasting 12 to 16 feet from the national hurricane center. but you saw on that 3d image even 4 feet is enough to start inundating homes and businesses. and you are going to have that near appalaciacola, down towards st. petersburg and sarasota. so even some of the other areas that maybe don't get as much as 12 feet, maybe they good et 4 o you will still have that storm surge inside of homes. so now sustained winds now of 125 miles per hour, moving to the north/northeast at 17 miles per hour. and it is expected to intensify even more getting up to a category 4 right before landfall crossing over into georgia and then the carolinas before going

back out before open water. again, we've talked about storm surge being the big concern, but also flooding from the water coming down from above you. so as we take a look at the forecast radar, again landfall time still looks like it was between about 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. roughly this morning eastern time. and then the system continues to slide into georgia, you are likely going to have power outages across georgia, south carolina, even north carolina possible as the storm continues to make its way out towards the atlantic as we go through the rest of the day today. you've already got some of the really heavy bands starting to impact not only the panhandle but also the peninsula. farther to the south there are already several tornado warnings, still one active just to the east of orlando. and we have a tornado watch in effect for a few more hours. an additional one likely to be put out this morning because this area will continue to see tornadoes and also we could be seeing them eventually in states like georgia and as well as the carolinas the next 24 hours.

>> i think a lot of people don't realize that these storms create their own weather so to speak and the tornadoes are really serious. we've seen those happen in this area before. very stark. a lot of different things that can harm you even though it is quite beautiful. allison chinchar, thank you so much. der derek, thank you for showing us what is happening in tampa. >> and we'll have team coverage continuing throughout the morning. our meal teorologists as well laying out as this comes closer and closer. winds th now at 125 miles per h. nearing category 4 designation. only four category 4 storms have made landfall in florida over the course of the last several decades. this is serious and significant. we'll talk to people on the ground including one of our reporters at kthat dare row beah about what they expect in the

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category 4 storm. and what we're showing you right now is three different places, three different regions in florida. cedar key on your left. punta gorda in the center. and tampa on the right. and the storm making its way toward florida, expected to make landfall in the coming hours. we want to also take you about to 150 miles away from cedar key where you see the rain just whipping across the screen. and we'll take you to madeira beach, florida. you've been seeing derek van dam in tampa. this is a little further away. chad mills from our affiliate is on the ground there and this is what he's seeing. >> reporter: it is bad and getting worse, that is the bad news here. i just spoke to the mayor of madeira beach and he tells me that the water on the intercoastal has breached the seawall. and you can see gulf boulevard behind me, this is kind of what

we're seeing here in madeira beach, a portion of the gulf boulevard closed here. daiquiri shack is in this area. we're standing next to the lucky lizard restaurant. it is holding up pretty good. the side entrance is pretty well off the ground. so no water approaching this door. but let's carefully walk to their main entrance on gulf boulevard. as we approach the door here, you will see to the left that they did put some sandbags there and it hasn't reached the sandbags yet. still pretty dry right here. yeah, no water at all next to these sand bags o. but if you turn around, you can see the water is approaching this restaurant. you see the water next to the curb, pretty much flush with the curb right now. so worsening situation here in madeira beach. we've seen a lot of deputies

with pinellas county, we've seen the fire department out. they are starting to assess what is going on. there is a presumption that homes and businesses could flood if that seawall breached. it has breached. they are hoping now that the high tide, the storm surge will retreat before any worse damage than what we've seen so far. you can tell the wind is whipping here pretty good right now. look at those stop signs. kind of a textbook example of the wind and gives you an idea of what we're facing. actually it slowed down a little bit. it was more intense than this just a few minutes ago. we've seen a couple signs damaged, some things like that, minor damage, palm frons down. nothing of really any note. but the wind is a factor here and it is helping to blow the water from the gulf of mexico north up gulf boulevard toward

the roadblock just over my shoulder here. we'll continue to monitor the situation here at made la mayor madeira beach and check back in with you in a bit. >> and what you were just seeing there is more than 100 plus miles away from where the hurricane right now idalia is expected to make its direct landfall. that is the scale of what we're seeing from this category 3 storm. it is a storm that will be addressed by florida governor ron desantis, we are just learning that he will be speaking at 6:30 a.m. we'll be taking that live when it happens. again, updates from state officials, from local officials, also federal officials throughout the course of this morning as we continue to wait, watch, see and prepare for what is a significant storm and one that appears to be living up to all of the biggest concerns woef heard from meteorologists and data scientists the last day or so. certainly on the path to a category 4 up to this point

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