TAMPA, Fla. — Less than 24 hours after Idalia made landfall as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, Tampa International Airport is ready to reopen some flights.
TPA will reopen to arriving flights only at 4 p.m. Wednesday after shutting down early Tuesday morning ahead of the storm, the airport shared in a post. Departing flights and normal operations are still set to resume Thursday morning.
Travelers should still check with their airlines for the latest flight updates.
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is back open as of 3 p.m. Wednesday with flights to resume on Thursday as originally planned.
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, which closed its doors Tuesday night, is also back open and fully operational as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Although TPA said it "sustained minimal damage" from Hurricane Idalia, most of the effects were focused on the lightly populated Big Bend region of the state. Idalia made landfall at 7:45 a.m. near Keaton Beach as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph.
More than 263,000 customers were without electricity as rushing water covered streets near the coast. As the eye moved inland, destructive winds shredded signs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees. Downed power lines closed northbound Interstate 75 just south of Valdosta, Georgia.
Storm surge remains a threat for many areas of Florida's Gulf Coast.