Hurricane Idalia weakens to a tropical storm after slamming Florida as a powerful hurricane

Hurricane Idalia weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 3 hurricane. The storm caused significant devastation along the Gulf Coast, submerging homes, vehicles, and streets, knocking down power lines, and causing widespread power outages. Despite the destruction, there were no confirmed storm-related deaths in Florida, although some fatal traffic accidents may have been indirectly caused by the storm.