Marking the ninth storm, third hurricane, and second significant hurricane of the 2023 Atlantic season, Idalia originated from a tropical wave that transitioned across Central America from the Pacific. It slowly intensified in the Caribbean's western waters, becoming a tropical depression on August 26 and escalating to a tropical storm by the following day, earning the name Idalia.
The storm's journey through the Gulf of Mexico saw a swift increase in strength, peaking as a Category 4 hurricane before diminishing to a Cat 3 as it approached Florida's Big Bend area, where it made landfall on August 30th.