Vanderbilt Beach and Marco Island getting heavy rain from Hurricane Idalia outer bands

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
Vanderbilt Beach
Vanderbilt Beach. (Credit: WINK News)

Plenty of people were enjoying the water at Vanderbilt Beach shortly before noon on Tuesday. Quickly, the winds began rushing through, the sun faded behind dense clouds and the rain doused people while they left the beach.

While Vanderbilt Beach is not expecting a direct hit from Hurricane Idalaia, the beach is certainly going to be affected by the storm.

Meanwhile, shortly before 6 p.m. on Marco Island, some people could be seen at the beach and even in the water. However, the winds were starting to pick up and the sun began fading behind the thick overcast.

It didn’t stop people from grabbing their surfboards to enjoy the swells brought on by Hurricane Idalia pushing further up the coast of Florida.

It’s worth noting that earlier in the afternoon a confirmed tornado occurred near Tommie Barfield Elementary on Marco Island.

WINK News spoke to one beachgoer about how he is preparing to handle the storm.

“You can enjoy it, but in another 15 minutes from now I think I’ll be heading back into the car because it’s getting pretty dark south of here,” said the beachgoer.

Not that many people are at the beach anymore, compared to shortly before noon.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.