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Shaped like a sailboat and stretching 23 feet long, the unmanned research vehicle, dubbed a saildrone, was a long way from its home in St. Petersburg. Roughly 200 nautical miles from Idalia’s eye on Aug. 29, as an angry sea tossed and toiled, the vehicle began recording video. ...What happens at the surface, where the wind meets water? Saildrone is now working directly with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to answer that question.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is earning praise from citizens and politicians in his state and across the country for his response to Hurricane Idalia, which some strategists told Fox News displayed leadership GOP voters are hungry for. Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Keaton Beach, Florida... Gov. DeSantis was widely praised in the media for his handling of the storm, and while he has maintained a stance that storms should not be politicized, political strategists who spoke to Fox News Digital said GOP voters will surely take notice of his leadership. ...polling shows two ... important...

One legitimate measurement of the readiness and capability of a candidate to be president is how he or she responds to a crisis. In a moment of crisis, the core of human beings is on display. Some people wither; others shine. Either way, it is always a peek into the foundation of the person — his or her value system. We had two examples of this recently, as both President Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had the opportunity to respond to crises, in the wake of the devastating fire on Maui and Hurricane Idalia, respectively. How did they do?...

Two people were charged with looting a home damaged by Hurricane Idalia in Florida’s Big Bend region, as residents’ concerns grew that burglars could be tempted to hit other hurricane-ravaged homes since law enforcement is stretched thin in the remote, wooded area along the Gulf Coast. Some residents of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, one of the communities hardest hit after Idalia made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane, urged law enforcement to set up checkpoints where people would have to show identification in order to get into the town. Marina worker Kerry Ford had high praise for local law enforcement’s...

GOP presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hammered climate change alarmists in no uncertain terms during Hurricane Idalia's aftermath. DeSantis cited an 1896 storm that reportedly had 125 mph winds and Florida's Labor Day hurricane in 1935, saying during a Sunday press conference that those storms resulted in massive destruction and deaths. "So, I think the notion that somehow hurricanes are something new, that’s just false. And we’ve got to stop politicizing the weather and stop politicizing natural disasters," DeSantis said. "We know from history there’s been times when it’s very busy in Florida, late ‘40s, early ‘50s, you...

“It is an ill wind that blows no man to good,” as the proverb says. In the case of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one might add a much-abused adverb: literally. Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida this week, bad news for everybody living in Florida except for one man: Ron DeSantis, who in the past has shown that this sort of everyday executive work — governor stuff — is something that he is pretty good at. Taking time off from his recent political shtick, DeSantis was on the phone with President Biden while members of his administration were negotiating with...

White House officials said Saturday they were caught flat-footed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision not to meet with President Biden when Biden visits the state later today. Biden had said earlier he would meet with the governor as he tours areas of Florida damaged by Hurricane Idalia, but the DeSantis team contradicted the president. "In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts," said DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern. ... "The president spoke with the governor. It was an understanding that...

Imagine this disturbing scenario for a moment. You live in Florida and received plenty of dire warnings about the approach of Hurricane Idalia. But your house is a little way uphill and the storm surge wasn’t quite as bad as some had predicted. You manage to get by with only some minor flooding at your place and once they get the power back on you should be able to start cleaning up. But two days after the storm, you walk outside only to find your car going up in a massive fireball. Just what you needed, right? But what went...

President Biden promised Saturday to “take care of Florida” as he travelled to the Sunshine State to review the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia — and fended off questions about its governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, who has said that he would not accompany a “very disruptive” visit. “I don’t think he’s going to be there,” Biden said of DeSantis as he headed to Air Force One. “We are going to take care of Florida.”

President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned that Hurricane Idalia was continuing to wreak havoc on the southeast United States but lauded the work of emergency responders and state officials, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Democratic president said he and the Republican governor — himself a 2024 presidential candidate — have put aside politics to focus on protecting Florida’s residents, just as he says they did during recovery efforts last year after Hurricane Ian. “I think he trusts my judgment and my desire to help, and I trust him to be able to suggest this is not about politics, this...

President Biden called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday about the major disaster declaration he signed for the state in response to Hurricane Idalia. On the call, Biden also conveyed that he “ordered all available federal resources to help with the continued response to Tropical Storm Idalia,” according to the White House. And, it added, “the president reiterated that the people of Florida have his full support as they recover from the storm.” The major disaster declaration allows for federal funding to be available to affected individuals in the counties of Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee and Taylor...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the wake of Hurricane Idalia making landfall in Florida, President Joe Biden offered suffering victims in the Sunshine State comfort by telling them about the time he was in the bathroom and the urinal splashed back on him a little bit. "I've been in the same situation, folks," Biden said as he made remarks to the media regarding ongoing disaster relief efforts in Hawaii and Florida. "These hurricanes and storms flooding everything remind me of my own challenges. There was this one time, at a state dinner with the Pope, and I had to go see...

On Wednesday, leading Republican presidential candidate and 45th President Donald Trump issued a statement as Hurrican Idalia made landfall as a Category One storm in northwestern Florida. "Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by Hurricane Idalia," Trump began. "I urge everyone to listen to your local officials, heed all warnings, and prioritize the safety of yourself and your loved ones." "I’ve witnessed the courage, strength, and spirit of the great people of Florida many times over the years!" Trump remarked. "Together, they will recover and rebuild, but in the meantime, be safe. Love and respect to everyone. God bless...

Florida's first lady, Casey DeSantis, posted an image online of a fallen tree at the governor's mansion in Tallahassee after Hurricane Idalia blew through the area. DeSantis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she and her three children were at home when the tree fell, but weren't injured.

Hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled as Hurricane Idalia wreaks havoc across the Sunshine State, causing a handful of airports to shutter Wednesday ahead of the destructive storm’s impact. Several major airports were closed, including Tampa International, St. Pete-Clearwater International, Boca Raton, Gainesville Regional and Tallahassee International. They may reopen Thursday depending on damage, officials said. Over 700 flights in and out of Tampa International Airport were canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

Idalia's forecast landfall strength and storm surge levels could reach once-in-a-lifetime levels along parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Idalia is forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger), bringing a potential storm surge of 10 to 15 feet to the Big Bend area and 4 to 7 feet to the Tampa Bay area. Anything greater than 4 feet of storm surge inundation in the Tampa Bay area would set a new record there. Six feet of surge inundation would set a record in Cedar Key on the southern side of the Big Bend. While other storms,...

Aug 29, 2023 #NBCNews #Hurricane #Florida Florida is preparing for Hurricane Idalia as the state is threatened with record-setting storm surge and significant flooding. NBC News’ Al Roker, Tom Llamas and Gabe Gutierrez have the latest weather updates.

Hurricane Idalia is barrelling towards Florida and forecasters warn it is extremely dangerous. This rare footage of St Elmo's Fire was captured by the pilots from MacDill Air Force Base. The Air Force Base said on X (formerly Twitter): "During the evacuation, the 50th ARS recorded St. Elmo’s fire, a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created in an atmospheric electric field."

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is warning of storm surges of 10–15 feet in some areas of Florida as hurricane Idalia makes landfall, warning residents of “destructive life-threatening winds” across the state. “Catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation of 10 to 15 feet above ground level and destructive waves are expected somewhere between Aucilla River and Yankeetown, Florida,” the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) 11 a.m. update of the storm reads, warning that “life-threatening storm surge inundation” is likely for portions of the Gulf Coast. Further, the NHC warns of the potential for “destructive life-threatening winds where the core of Idalia...

Visible satellite view on Hurricane Idalia intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 29. Image: CIRA/RAMMB Hurricane Idalia is rapidly intensifying Tuesday as it moves over record-warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Threat level: The storm will bring "catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation" into Florida's Big Bend, with a "life threatening" surge southward to Tampa Bay, the National Hurricane Center warns. Idalia was expected to strike Florida's Gulf coast on Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" major Category 3 storm. According to the NWS forecast office in Tallahassee, no storm since reliable records began in 1851 has tracked...