Hurricane Idalia in 6 maps: Here's what the data shows

As Hurricane Idalia batters Florida's west coast, scientists are tracking when and where the storm will move next. Here are the details showing the hurricane's path this morning.

Hurricane Idalia has made landfall in the U.S. with "catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds" the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.

The storm is battering Florida's coast and was downgraded to a category three, from a category four, hurricane shortly before making landfall.

As of 7 a.m. EDT winds were blowing at 201 kilometres per hour forcing waves into the communities of the Big Bend region, where they could reach as high as 4.5 metres.

Here's what Hurricane Idalia looks like according to data from radar systems monitoring its destructive path. All maps and information are from the NOAA website tracking the hurricane.

The map above shows the hurricane at 8:11 a.m. EDT. The eye of the storm has crossed onto land, bringing with it strong winds, rain and lightning.

The colours show lightning flashes in the area every five minutes. Green is showing fewer flashes of lightning whereas red is for intense lightning episodes.

As the storm moved on land, lightning decreased.