Do not drive down Tampa's most iconic seven-mile stretch.
This morning, Hurricane Idalia made landfall north of Tampa Bay in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 3 storm, bringing "catastrophic" storm surge and flooding to the area.
Tampa Bay has also experienced significant flooding, specifically along Pinellas County's barrier islands, southern Hillsborough County's Alafia River area, and downtown Tampa.
"Do NOT drive through flooded streets," said the City of Tampa in a social media post. "Even a few inches of water can cause you to lose controls of your vehicle and salt water can damage your engine."
As of now, the City of Tampa says there is extensive flooding in the downtown area along the Hillsborough River, as well as Bayshore Boulevard and the Culbreath Isles/Sunset Park areas of South Tampa.
Tampa Bay remains under a storm surge warning Wednesday, with forecasters expecting up to 6 feet of surge in some areas. Today's flooding is also expected to get worse, as high tide approaches this afternoon.
See the City of Tampa's real time flood map for up to date information.
If you are in an emergency and facing flooding, you can contact the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130 to deploy high-water rescue vehicles.
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