Hurricane Idalia is slamming Florida, now as a Category 1 hurricane.

The National Hurricane Centre says it made landfall near Keaton Beach on the state’s west coast this morning as a high-end Category 3 and maximum sustained winds near 205 kilometres per hour.

Some areas could see catastrophic storm surge reach as high as nearly 5 metres.

The NHC says areas of flooding, with considerable impacts, are expected from portions of North Florida through the Carolinas into Thursday.

Officials warned residents yesterday to leave coastal areas or hunker down in a safe place until the storm passes.

According to multiple reports, it’s the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend region in more than 125 years.

Florida is still dealing with damages from Hurricane Ian last year.