As Hurricane Idalia approaches Florida’s west coast, a rare celestial occurrence known as a blue supermoon threatens to amplify the storm’s damage.
On Wednesday (30 August), the moon will be at its closest point to Earth, known as perigee, which will coincide with Idalia’s projected landfall.
This supermoon, in addition to presenting a beautiful visual spectacle, increases the gravitational pull on Earth, resulting in higher tides.
The higher tides are predicted to worsen flooding not only in Florida but also in Georgia and South Carolina. Residents have been warned by Haines’ office that areas of Charleston could be swamped by Wednesday night (30 August).
The sun and moon both exert gravitational forces in the same direction during a full moon, causing tides to surge above normal levels.
When the moon is closer to Earth, the effect is intensified, resulting in even higher tides.
The National Hurricane Centre in the United States has predicted storm surges of up to 15 feet along areas of Florida’s west coast, with storm surges of up to 7 feet forecast in the Tampa Bay area.
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