Hurricane (Typhoon) — Suwannee, Florida
2023-08-30 · Suwannee, Florida
Event narrative
Suwannee was one of the most heavily impacted counties as the eyewall of Idalia crossed over during the
morning hours of 8/30. Extensive tree and structure damage was observed county-wide, especially west of
State Road 51 toward the Suwannee River. A rare Extreme Wind Warning product was issued by the NWS
Jacksonville as the eyewall of Major Hurricane strength moved across the county during the morning.
There were barns, carports and other out-buildings destroyed with major roof loss and damage along 221st
Road and along 148th Street. Peak winds in this area were estimated at 75-90 mph with gusts to near 100
mph. Additional damage occurred just west of the Suwannee River along 233rd Road and 225th Road where
trees and structures were damaged. One large, newly constructed farm building was completely destroyed
along 225th Road just south of 136th Street where peak winds were estimated between 75 to 90 sustained
with gusts possibly to 110 mph. Likely the loss of this structure was due to the large door being blown in and
allowing winds to damage supports inside the structure. Dowling Park suffered some of the worst damage
where peak sustained winds were estimated between 80-90 mph with gusts to 100 mph. There were a
couple of locations with damage caused by 75-80 mph winds with gusts near 90 mph based on structural
assessment along and near County Road 252. Five to six wood utility poles along Highway 250 snapped near
the ground suggest peak gusts in a very small area may have reached to 110 mph close to the Suwannee
River. Roofs were heavily damaged and lifted with loss of roofing material and there was loss of HVAC roof
equipment. Widespread tree damage and power line was observed. Numerous pine trees were snapped
and travel trailers were blown over near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Highway 129. Power was out. A
carport was flipped over and a power line was blown down in McAlpin. Several outbuildings were rolled over
along Ohio Avenue North (US Highway 129) and 72nd Terrace in Live Oak. Live Oak itself suffered
widespread tree damage, with large live oaks uprooted and pine trees snapped. Structure siding, roofs,
carports and covered walkways were heavily damaged. Power lines were blown down. Numerous large oak
trees were blown down across Highway 90.
At 0720, a mesonet site at the Suwannee County Airport about 2 miles WNW of Live Oak measured a wind
gust of 44 mph. A mesonet site at Suwannee Pineview Elementary measured a wind gust of 41 mph at 0850.
At 0920, the mesonet site at the Suwannee County Airport measured a wind gust of 52 mph. At 0940, the
mesonet site at the Suwannee County Airport had a 53 mph wind gust. At 0950, a mesonet site in Suwannee
Springs measured a wind gust of 60 mph.
Wider weather episode
Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning August 30th around 745 AM EDT along the
Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach as a category 3, with the inner core moving NE across the
Suwannee River Valley. The inner wind core of Idalia gradually weakened through the morning while,
heavily impacting Suwannee and Hamilton counties in NE Florida and Echols county SE Georgia as the
circulation tracked NE. Widespread tree, power line and structure damage occurred across Suwannee and Hamilton counties, with estimated winds of 80-100 mph based on damage surveys with isolated pockets of peak wind gusts near major hurricane strength. Outer rainbands on the eastside of Idalia
impacted all of SE Georgia and NE FL through the day, with early morning tornadoes across coastal SE Georgia and widespread tropical cyclone wind gusts through the day causing tree damage and powerline damage at least somewhere across NE Florida and SE Georgia. Measured gusts during the peak of the hurricane across the local forecast area were 60-80 mph. Flooding rainfall impacted locations in the direct path of the weakening inner core across the Suwannee River Valley and southeast Georgia,
especially from eastern Hamilton county toward Baxley and Jesup GA. The peak rainfall amounts were up to 5-8 inches. At least 3 tornadoes occurred in southeast GA as rainbands swept northwestward ahead of the hurricane.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1127287. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.