How much rain and storm surge did Hurricane Idalia bring to Manatee County, Florida?
Despite missing the brunt of Hurricane Idalia’s destruction, Manatee County received 3 1/2 feet of storm surge.
The National Weather Service’s initial findings after Idalia spun past the Tampa Bay region and made landfall near Keaton Beach in Florida’s Big Bend region show the storm produced 2-4 inches of rain in Manatee County.
It’s a contrast to what the area received from other deadly “I” storms in the past decade, such as Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Irma in 2017.
“It did stay far from our coast,” said meteorologist Christianne Pearce of the National Weather Service in Ruskin. “But, I mean, it’s also an eye opener to everybody that, you know, even a hurricane that far away from our coast and it caused as much surge all the way along the coast. I mean, imagine if it was a direct hit.”
Pearce said the best gauge for storm surge was at Port Manatee, which showed 3 1/2 feet. The highest wind gusts in the area were felt at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, where a gust of 70 miles per hour was recorded. Maximum sustained winds were less, but an exact range was not known yet.
She added Idalia was a Category 2 hurricane when it traveled past Manatee County to the west in the Gulf of Mexico at 11 p.m. Tuesday. From there, Idalia churned north to Florida’s Big Bend, where it strengthened into a Category 3 storm with sustained wind speeds of 125 miles per hour when it made landfall in Taylor County.
Idalia’s damages, floods
In Manatee County, bridge access to Anna Maria Island was temporarily closed with several streets on the barrier island flooded as was Rubonia north of the Manatee River. Bridges to the island were reopened Wednesday afternoon.
Manatee County officials estimated $2 million in damages in preliminary findings Wednesday following the storm, a news release said. That damage was for the entire county.
On Thursday, schools reopened and the waters that flooded the north end of Anna Maria Island receded with cars driving around Gulf Drive without issue.
For the Tampa Bay region, Pearce said the highest rainfall totals were inland. Hardee County experienced the highest total with the area getting 4 to 5 inches of rain. Sarasota County mirrored Manatee County with 2-4 inches of rain.
However, storm surge caused flooding to several coastal areas in Manatee, Sarasota, Pinella and Hillsborough counties.
The late August hurricane comes after the area experienced record heat and dry conditions. July, for example, was the hottest and driest month on record for Manatee County.
Thursday’s forecast
The National Weather Service’s forecast for Thursday is a 60 percent chance of rain with a high near 92 degrees. The heat index is expected to reach as high as 107 degrees with wind gusts as high as 18 miles per hour, the forecast said.
There is a flood warning through Friday at noon for the Manatee River near Myakka Head at State Road 64 and Rye Bridge.
