Idalia, now a tropical storm, touched down in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane.
Idalia touched down in Florida's Big Bend region on Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 hurricane -- the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall in the Apalachee Bay.
Idalia has since weakened into a tropical storm and moved inland over Georgia and the Carolinas.
Idalia is forecast to be a tropical storm as it reenters the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, tracking away from the U.S.
Storm surge will continue to be a threat due to the circulation of tropical storm Idalia, with the winds bringing water ashore.
Heavy flooding rain will also continue tonight.
A tornado watch remains in effect until 10 p.m. for the Carolinas.
-ABC News' Kenton Gewecke and Melissa Griffin
More than 485,000 customers are without power across four states in the wake of Hurricane Idalia.
That includes more than 260,600 customers in Florida and more than 210,200 in Georgia.
More than 14,000 customers in the Carolinas are also impacted.
Idalia has weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm as it slams Georgia and the Carolinas with rain and wind.
President Joe Biden has spoken with the governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina as Hurricane Idalia slams the Southeast.
"I think they're reassured that we're going to be there for whatever they need," Biden said of the governors.
The president said he thinks Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis "trusts my judgment and my desire to help, and I trust him to be able to suggest that this is not about politics. It's about taking care of the people of the state."
Biden said he told the governor of each impacted state that "if there's anything, anything the states need right now, I'm ready to mobilize that support."
The president said he didn't yet know if he would adjust his upcoming travel to visit the Southeast.
DeSantis told reporters he agreed with Biden’s assessment that managing the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia is not about politics.
"We’re going to work together from local, state, federal, regardless of party, to be able to deliver results for the people in their time of need," he said.
-ABC News' Ben Gittleson
