Travel impacts of Hurricane Idalia's landfall in Florida felt in Philly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Tampa International Airport was shut down at midnight Tuesday as the state prepared for Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International closed Tuesday afternoon. Orlando International Airport said on social media Wednesday morning there will be some disruptions to flights. Tallahassee airport closed Tuesday night and Southwest Florida International Airport said there are some delays to flights.
RELATED: Travelers rush to get back to Delaware Valley ahead of Hurricane Idalia
The departures board at Philadelphia International Airport showed all flights to Tampa were canceled.
Tampa International Airport is assessing storm damage to see when they might be able to reopen. https://t.co/rxF6oyfoBj
— Meteorologist Grant Gilmore (@GrantGilmoreWX) August 30, 2023
"We got evacuated from Clearwater, the hotel didn't give us any information, we found out from other guests," said John Kearney of Brookhaven. "Luckily we had a rental car, and we just started driving, because we found out the Tampa Bay airport was closed. It feels awesome," he said sarcastically.
"You definitely want to check with your airline to determine if you will experience any flight delays or cancelations. People may not realize the Tampa airport shut down and with that, they're moving planes away from Tampa. ... That will definitely cause a delay as those planes fly to safety," AAA spokesperson Jana Tidwell said.
Idalia thrashed through western Cuba Monday, bringing heavy rain and winds. On Tuesday, it made landfall in the westernmost part of Florida, Key West.
7:45 AM EDT update: Extremely dangerous Category 3 Hurricane #Idalia makes landfall in the Florida Big Bend. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 125 mph. Catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds ongoing. pic.twitter.com/umMdj8dD5d
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 30, 2023
Officials and the National Weather Service are urging Floridians to wrap up their preparations by Tuesday morning at the earliest.
In Tampa, the shelves at one Target store were bare. Residents were filling up on gas and getting sandbags.
Kris Dosal stocked up in Gainesville while traveling home to Tampa from North Carolina.
"We know once we get to Tampa, there will be nothing," she said.
Idalia is expected to weaken as it moves through Western and Central Florida. It's unclear when flights to Tampa will pick back up again.
Locally, Idalia should miss us, but both Idalia and Hurricane Franklin could increase surf and rip currents for the Jersey Shore and Delaware beaches.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Florida and President Joe Biden has already approved a federal emergency disaster declaration for the state.