The Florida Climate Center serves as the primary resource for climate data, information, and services in the state of Florida.
The Florida Climate Center achieves its mission by providing climate monitoring, research, and expertise to be applied by the people, institutions, and businesses of Florida and the surrounding region.
We provide direct service by fulfilling requests for climate and weather data and information in a variety of formats.
We perform research that advances the understanding of the climate variability and changes of Florida and the surrounding region.
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Prepared by Melissa Griffin and David F. Zierden
Thanks to L. Zuromski
Florida Climate Center
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Average temperatures were below normal across the state in November. Average temperatures were below normal for November across the entire state (Table 1 and Appendix 1). Departures from normal ranged from -4.2˚F at Fort Lauderdale to -1.2˚F in Pensacola. While temperatures were cooler than normal, none of the monthly averages were within the top 10 coldest Novembers on record (at each specific location). Most of the coldest Novembers in the state happened during the 1970s. Multiple temperature records were either tied or broken (Appendix 2); however, only 2 of those records were for maximum temperatures, and those both occurred on the 3rd of the month.
Table 1: November average temperatures and departures from normal (° F) for selected cities.
Rainfall totals were below normal across the state in November. Rainfall totals across the state were well below normal this month (Table 2), with departures ranging from -1.46” at Tampa to -3.52” in Tallahassee. The late fall to early spring is typically the second wet season for the northern part of the state, and rainfall totals from November reflect the lack of these ‘winter rains’. November 2012 was the 4th driest November on record at Tallahassee. The dry conditions across the state (Figure 1), especially in the Panhandle and northeast Florida, prompted the National Drought Monitor to reintroduce drought designations for portions of the state. Due to the fact there were only 9 precipitation records broken in November, and only one of them was over 0.50”, they will not be highlighted this month.
Table 2: November precipitation totals and departures from normal (inches) for selected cities.
Figure 1: A graphical depiction of the monthly rainfall departure from normal (inches) for November is given in the figure below (courtesy of NOAA, NWS).
ENSO-neutral conditions continue in the Pacific. As of November 26th, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has discontinued the El Niño Watch they issued earlier this year as neutral ENSO conditions continue to be reported for the equatorial Pacific. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SST) are above average across much of the Pacific Ocean. ENSO-neutral conditions are expected to continue through the winter of 2012-2013. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) predicts normal temperatures for the northern part of the state and below normal temperatures for the peninsula; they are also predicting above normal precipitation in the western Panhandle and north Florida through February.
Hazardous weather events in November. November was an extremely quiet month for severe weather across the state with only 16 severe weather reports. Dense fog was reported by law enforcement officials at the Seminole Indian Reservation in Collier County, as well as other locations in Collier County, during the early morning hours of November 4th. Astronomically high tides were recorded along the northeast coast, from the Florida/Georgia line to St. Augustine, from November 14 to 17. Tides were reported between 0.5’ and 1’ above normal tide levels. Visibility was reported at .25 mile at the Naples Municipal Airport, while other parts of the county had zero visibility. On the morning of the 17th, a trained NWS spotter saw a waterspout offshore of Pompano Beach, FL. The Forest Service reported a wildfire on Nov 19th near Interstate 10 in Osceola National Forest near the Baker and Columbia county line. By the 21st, the fire had burned about 45 acres.
Table 3: Breakdown of storm reports submitted in Florida during the month of November (compiled from Southeast Regional Climate Center).
Agricultural and other climate-related impacts. At the beginning of the month, good progress was being made with the harvesting of hay, cotton and peanuts across the state. Vegetable producers were preparing fields for planting potatoes. Sugarcane planting/harvesting was on schedule and the citrus region remained drought free. The quantity and quality of grass had declined seasonally, though the majority of pastures across the state were in good condition. Fall calving began and cattle conditions were fair to good. Peanut harvesting was nearly complete and cotton harvesting continued through the middle of the month. The last bit of hay was being cut in some counties before the first frost/freeze of the season could impact the crop. The dry weather pressured pasture and winter grazing establishments, as parts of the Panhandle were unable to plant winter forage due to dry soils. Toward the end of November the dry weather had caused some late cotton bolls to open prematurely in northwestern Florida, while the dry and mild weather proved to be beneficial for vegetable producers. Most pasture conditions were fair to good, though pasture conditions continued to deteriorate in portions of northern Florida.
The week after the October Climate Summary was released, the authors of the National Drought Monitor, with insight from a variety of contributors, decided to start adding the ‘dry conditions’ designation back to Florida. After about 2 months of being drought free, parts of northern Leon, Gadsden, Walton, and Holmes counties saw a reintroduction of dry conditions as the drought in Georgia and southeastern Alabama spread across the state line. By the 13th, all of the northern parts of Panhandle counties that share a border with Alabama or Georgia were labeled as dry. And as the dry month persisted, and with little to no rain falling over these already dry areas, moderate drought was introduced back into the state by the end of the month. Portions of central and south Florida remained drought free during November, as the fall and winter months are usual drier than the northern tier of the state.
Figure 2: Drought conditions in Florida as of November 27, 2012 (courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor).
Appendix 1: Additional November departures from normal data for Florida locations.
Appendix 2: Select daily maximum and minimum temperature records (° F) tied or broken during November (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Prepared by Melissa Griffin and David F. Zierden
Florida Climate Center
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Average temperatures were above normal across the state in December. Average temperatures were well above normal for December across the entire state (Table 1 and Appendix 1). Departures from normal ranged from 0.9˚F at Fort Lauderdale to 3.9˚F in Pensacola. This was the 6th warmest December on record in Pensacola. Multiple temperature records either tied or broken (Appendix 2), with most of those being associated the maximum temperatures.
Table 1: December average temperatures and departures from normal (° F) for selected cities.
Rainfall totals varied across the state in December. While most of the state recorded below normal rainfall totals for the month (Table 2), some small portions of the state actually had above normal precipitation in December (Figure 1). Coastal portions of Collier County, along with Palm Beach and Martin counties, areas around the northern shore of Lake Okeechobee, and a line from Gainesville to St. Augustine recorded monthly rainfall totals that were more than 2” above normal. However, most of the state saw between 1” and 2” below normal, and December 2012 was the 10th driest December on record in Pensacola.
Table 2: December precipitation totals and departures from normal (inches) for selected cities.
Table 3: Select daily rainfall records (inches) broken during December (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Figure 1: A graphical depiction of the monthly rainfall departure from normal (inches) for December is given in the figure below (courtesy of NOAA, NWS).
ENSO-neutral conditions continue in the Pacific. As of December 30th, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) reported that ENSO neutral conditions continue for the equatorial Pacific. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SST) were near average across much of the Pacific Ocean. ENSO-neutral conditions are favored to continue through the winter of 2012-2013 and into spring 2013. CPC predicts above normal temperatures for the state, with above normal precipitation for northern Florida in January, but below normal precipitation in peninsular Florida through March.
Hazardous weather events in December. December was a quiet month for severe weather across the state with only 81 severe weather reports. Dense fog was reported along coastal portions of Nassau, Duval and St. Johns counties during the early morning hours of December 8th, reducing visibility to less than ¼ mile in some locations. On December 10th, a storm system caused multiple severe weather reports in portions of inland and coastal central Florida. Waterspouts were observed over New Smyrna Beach and Lake Apopka, while a funnel cloud was reported in Lakewood, FL, and a tornado in Edgewater, FL. Areas of Alachua, Marion and Orange counties saw heavy rain and storm damage from the same storm system. Multiple flooding reports were made on the 11th in the Jupiter, FL, area after unofficial rainfall totals measured 3-10” in portions of Palm Beach County. Law enforcement officials in Hendry, Glades and Collier counties reported widespread dense fog on the 13th, with visibilities reduced to ¼ mile. Storms caused damage in portions of the Panhandle on the 17th, with multiple reports of storm damage and wind gusts over 40 mph. A strong cold front moved through the state on the 20th – 22nd, which spawned a tornado near Perry, FL, and caused storm damage across Florida. Trees were knocked down from Freeport to Jacksonville, and high wind reports were made from every portion of the state, with the highest reported wind speed being 45 mph at Shell Point. Another vigorous cold front pushed through the portions of the state on the evening of 25th through the morning of the 26th. The squall line produced a waterspout near Santa Rosa Beach on the 25th, and caused storm damage and high winds as it pushed through north Florida.
Table 4: Breakdown of storm reports submitted in Florida during the month of December (compiled from Southeast Regional Climate Center).
Agricultural and other climate-related impacts. The lack of rainfall at the beginning of the month further depleted the topsoil moisture levels across the state. Some citrus trees were straining to keep the fruit set healthy and growing, and some growers were beginning to irrigate their groves to keep moisture levels from becoming too short. The winter field crops struggled due to the lack of rainfall; however, the above-normal temperatures resulted in good growing conditions for numerous vegetable varieties across the state. Strawberries were already being marketed. By mid-month, some rainfall in central Florida had reduced the need for irrigation for citrus and winter crops, but slowed some of the work in the fields. Other portions of the state still relied heavily on irrigation, as parts of the state were still dry due to the lack of rainfall. However, by the end of the month, two rounds of rainfall boosted soil moisture levels and further eased some of the irrigation demands on Florida agricultural. Some of the storms associated with the two strong cold fronts did cause localized wind damage. The passage of the fronts did bring sub-freezing temperatures to parts of the state and growers prepared to check the damage done to crops. Fruit and vegetable growers continued to market a variety of crops, and orange harvesting continued at a rapid pace.
As the dry conditions continued from November, the authors of the National Drought Monitor expanded some of the dry conditions in north Florida by the beginning of the month, to include most of the southwest coast of the state and portions of north central Florida. Mid-December, the dry conditions had been removed from Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties, though the dryness was kept in Monroe County. The moderate drought conditions along the Florida/Alabama and Florida/Georgia line persisted through the end of the month, while Dade and Broward counties are now reporting dry conditions.
Figure 2: Drought conditions in Florida as of December 25, 2012 (courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor).
Appendix 1: Additional December departures from normal data for Florida locations.
Appendix 2: Select daily maximum and minimum temperature records (° F) tied or broken during December (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Prepared by Melissa Griffin and David F. Zierden
Thanks to L. Zuromski
Florida Climate Center
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Average temperatures above normal across the state in October. Average temperatures were normal to above normal for October across the entire state (Table 1 and Appendix 1). Departures from normal ranged from 0.0˚F at Orlando to 1.3˚F in Jacksonville and Tallahassee. The average monthly temperatures at the beginning of the month were warmer than normal, but the latter part of the month saw most of the state with colder than normal temperatures. From the 18th-31st, average temperatures ranged from -0.2˚F to -2.6˚F below normal, and for the last week in October (25th-31st) temperatures across many locations in the state were more than -2.0˚F below normal, with average temperatures at Orlando for the week reported at -6.0˚F below normal. Multiple temperature records were either tied or broken (Appendix 2).
Table 1: October average temperatures and departures from normal (° F) for selected cities.
Rainfall totals varied across the state in October. Rainfall totals across the state varied in October (Table 2), with the northern part of the state seeing below normal rainfall, while portions of the interior peninsula and southeastern and southwestern coastal areas seeing above normal precipitation (Figure 1). Only a few precipitation records were broken in October (Table 3). The year to date (01/01/12 to 10/31/12) rainfall total of 85.93” (+32.93”) for Miami puts the 10-month period as the wettest on the 118-year record for the location, and 76.85” (+24.05”) at West Palm Beach is the 3rd wettest 10-month period.
Table 2: October precipitation totals and departures from normal (inches) for selected cities.
Table 3: Select daily rainfall records (inches) broken during October (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Figure 1: A graphical depiction of the monthly rainfall departure from normal (inches) for October is given in the figure below (courtesy of NOAA, NWS).
ENSO-neutral conditions continue in the Pacific. As of October 29th, neutral ENSO conditions continue to be reported for the equatorial Pacific. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SST) are greater than 0.5˚C above average across the western and central Pacific Ocean. ENSO-neutral/weak El Nino conditions are expected to continue through the winter of 2012-2013. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) predicts normal temperatures for the northern part of the state, and below normal temperatures for the peninsula; they are also predicting above normal precipitation in the western Panhandle and north Florida through January.
Hazardous weather events in October October was a fairly quiet month for severe weather across the state with only 273 severe weather reports. On October 1st, a man was injured after being struck by lightning in Villano Beach. Hail (0.50") was observed in Palatka, while winds up to 40 knots (46 mph) were reported in the Tampa area on October 4th. The following day, multiple reports of heavy rain were made in Jacksonville and a waterspout was seen offshore of St. Augustine. On October 6th, a waterspout was reported off Sugarloaf Key, and a funnel cloud was reported in Wellington. Heavy rains were observed on the 7th in Okeechobee and in the Jacksonville-Gainesville area (along with numerous reports of storm damage), with hail reported in Gainesville. Flooding and heavy rain was reported in the same areas on the 8th. Between October 14th and 15th, high winds (40 mph) were reported in southern portions of the Keys and high tides were observed on the 15th in southeast Florida. Heavy rain and high winds were reported along portions of the eastern coast from Boynton Beach to St. Augustine on the 17th. Of the 273 severe weather reports for the month of October, 224 of these reports were made from the 25th-31st, which coincides with when Hurricane Sandy, despite being well offshore of the East Coast of Florida, impacted the state. 141 of those reports were categorized as high wind, 15 were of coastal hazards and flooding, and the remaining 68 were thunderstorm hazards. Combined with high tides, waves from Hurricane Sandy battered portions of the East Coast of Florida. Below are some pictures taken by the National Weather Service in Miami of some of the coastal impacts on Fort Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach on October 28th.
Figure 2: Waves from Hurricane Sandy crashing against the pier in Deerfield Beach.
Figure 3: Taken on the morning of October 28th: coastal flooding during high-tide along A1A in Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Figure 4: Northbound lanes of A1A in Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL blocked by sand.
Figure 5: Example of extreme beach erosion caused by large waves from Hurricane Sandy in Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Table 4: Breakdown of storm reports submitted in Florida during the month of October (compiled from Southeast Regional Climate Center).
Agricultural and other climate-related impacts. Sugar cane harvesting began early in Hendry and Glades counties due to anticipated high yields, while wet conditions in Palm Beach County delayed harvesting and replanting. Fall vegetable harvest started in the early part of October and some growers in South Florida began planting winter crops. General grove maintenance continued in central and southern parts of the state. Cattle and pasture conditions ranged from poor to excellent, with most of the conditions being fair to good. By mid month, peanut, cotton, hay and corn harvesting began in Escambia, Gadsden, Jackson, Santa Rosa and Washington counties. Dry conditions at the end of the month aided in the continued harvesting of crops in the Panhandle. All of the hay had been cut in Columbia County, and most of the hay had been cut in Bradford, Highlands and Seminole counties, and Columbia and Suwannee counties began planting winter forage. Pasture conditions are beginning to decline seasonally and growth has slowed. Strawberry planting has begun and processing plants and packinghouses are now open.
October is typically a dry month for Florida and the observed rainfall varied from below normal to above normal across the state. This was the second month in a row that there was no drought designation in the state. Other areas of the Southeast U.S. saw an expansion of some of the dry conditions, especially in parts of Georgia and South Carolina. Normal rainfall is expected in Florida during the month of November but the recent dry weather has put the state under an increased fire risk for the next few weeks, as we will remain fairly dry over the next month. Despite the dry weather, Lake Okeechobee's level has risen to 15.87 ft, and most of the rivers in the state are reporting normal river levels.
Figure 6: Drought conditions in Florida as of October 30, 2012 (courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor).
Appendix 1: Additional October departures from normal data for Florida locations.
Appendix 2: Select daily maximum and minimum temperature records (° F) tied or broken during October (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Prepared by Melissa Griffin and David F. Zierden
Thanks to L. Zuromski
Florida Climate Center
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Average temperatures varied across the state in September. Average temperatures were below normal to slightly above normal for September across the entire state (Table 1 and Appendix 1). Departures from normal ranged from -1.2˚F at Key West to 0.5˚F in Pensacola and Tampa. The average maximum temperatures at most reporting stations were cooler than normal, while the recorded average minimum temperatures were above normal for the second month in a row. No station reported a temperature over 100˚F during September, and roughly 15 stations across the state reported a high temperature over 95˚F. The month only saw about a dozen temperature records either tied or broken (Appendix 2), with the majority of those being from low maximum or high minimum temperatures.
Table 1: September average temperatures and departures from normal (° F) for selected cities.
Rainfall totals varied across the state in September. Rainfall totals across the state varied in September (Table 2), though most of the coastal communities in Florida saw below normal precipitation for the month. Areal patterns of monthly rainfall relative to normal are depicted in Figure 1 and show how portions of north Florida reported near to above normal rainfall, along with areas southwest of Alachua County and interior portions of South Florida. Only a few precipitation records were broken in September (Table 3). Year to date (01/01/12 to 9/30/12) rainfall totals from some locations along the southeast coast (i.e., Miami, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale) have already reported rainfall amounts above their average annual totals and, with 3 months left in the year, it could mean 2012 may be the wettest year on at some locations.
Table 2: September precipitation totals and departures from normal (inches) for selected cities.
Table 3: Select daily rainfall records (inches) broken during September (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Figure 1: A graphical depiction of the monthly rainfall departure from normal (inches) for September is given in the figure below (courtesy of NOAA, NWS).
ENSO-neutral conditions continue in the Pacific. Neutral ENSO conditions continue to be reported for the equatorial Pacific. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SST) are greater than 0.5˚C above average across the eastern Pacific Ocean. There is still a chance for El Niño to form and continue through the winter of 2012-2013. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) predicts normal temperatures for the state and is predicting above normal precipitation in the western Panhandle through December.
Hazardous weather events in September After a fairly active August, September saw a drop in the number of hazardous weather reports across the state. Multiple waterspouts were reported in the Keys at the beginning of the month, along with a funnel cloud near Weston, FL. On September 5, many flooding reports came in from portions of Walton County, especially around DeFuniak Springs, from heavy rains that had fallen the day before in the same area. Also on the 5th, high winds (up to 60 mph), pea-sized hail and storm damage were recorded in and around the Fort Lauderdale area. More high winds, hail, and storm damage, along with some flooding and heavy rains, were reported in coastal areas from Palm Coast southward to Miami on the 6th and 7th. From September 8th-16th, most of the hazardous weather reports came from peninsular Florida, and the reports ranged from strong rip currents (resulting in one fatality) along Cocoa Beach to multiple waterspouts in the lower Keys and high wind reports from Tampa (gusts over 45 mph). Lightning strikes on the 17th and 18th in the Big Bend caused a large apartment complex fire in Panama City Beach and a fire in two separate homes in Leon County. The line of storms caused flooding in Madison County and multiple reports of storm damage and high wind as it pushed through the state. A severe storm produced dime sized hail in Fort Myers on the 20th. On the 22nd, heavy rains impacted portions of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, causing major flooding in both locations. The Miami NWS Office on the campus of Florida International University recorded 6.23” of rainfall during the event.
Table 4: Breakdown of storm reports submitted in Florida during the month of September (compiled from Southeast Regional Climate Center).
Agricultural and other climate-related impacts. At the beginning of September, there was concern about how the rainy summer (combined with two tropical systems) had impacted crops. Hay harvesting in some areas had been put on hold, and problems with wet fields posed problems for cotton and peanut growers. Cotton boll rot and white mold were reported in areas, along with rust effects in soybeans and nutritional deficiencies in some crops. Vegetable growers resumed land preparation. Cattle conditions seem to improve across the state, as the ample rainfall provided good pasture conditions. Citrus groves began application of fall miticide and continued to prepare young trees for the upcoming citrus season. Toward the middle and end of the month, hay cutting and peanut inverting began, as growers were able to get back into the field. Sugarcane planting started, after being delayed due to muddy fields from Tropical Storm Isaac. Some reports of diseases found in cotton, peanuts and soybeans fields. Vegetable growers were disrupted with daily rainfall, and began staking, tying and spraying as needed. Harvest preparations for Navels and grapefruit were underway.
Since the September 4th release of the Drought Monitor, conditions have not changed. The state remains drought free, despite some areas having below normal rainfall for the month. Fall is a typically dry period for the state, though passing fronts and the occasional sea breeze storm will bring rainfall to portions of the state. Water levels reported at Lake Okeechobee have risen from 14.24 ft to 15.63 ft.
Figure 2: Drought conditions in Florida as of September 25, 2012 (courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor).
Appendix 1: Additional September departures from normal data for Florida locations.
Appendix 2: Select daily maximum and minimum temperature records (° F) tied or broken during September (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Prepared by Melissa Griffin and David F. Zierden
Florida Climate Center
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Average temperatures varied across the state in August. Average temperatures were below normal to above normal for August across the entire state (Table 1 and Appendix 1). Departures from normal ranged from -1.0˚F at Key West to 0.6˚F in Tampa. The average maximum temperatures at most reporting stations were cooler than normal in August, while the recorded average minimum temperatures were above normal. Only 4 record highs were broken in August, though the month saw numerous records tied or broken (Appendix 2), with the majority of those being from low maximum or high minimum temperatures.
Table 1: August average temperatures and departures from normal (° F) for selected cities.
Rainfall totals varied across the state in August. Rainfall totals across the state varied in August (Table 2), though most of Florida saw above normal precipitation for the month. Areal patterns of monthly rainfall relative to normal are depicted in Figure 1 and show how areas around Tarpon Springs (near the Hillsborough and Pasco County line), Anna Maria Key (Manatee County), and the Keys were below normal, while portions of the Emerald Coast, First Coast, and Gold Coast saw above normal rainfall totals. At the end of the month, Tropical Storm Isaac brought torrential rainfall to parts of the state, breaking many 24-hour records in southern Florida (Table 3). August 2012 was the wettest on record at Niceville and West Palm Beach, the 4th wettest on record in Miami and Fort Lauderdale (Appendix 1), the 7th wettest on record in Pensacola, and the 9th wettest on record in Tallahassee. The summer as a whole proved to be extremely wet for numerous locations (Appendix 3).
Table 2: August precipitation totals and departures from normal (inches) for selected cities.
Table 3: Select daily rainfall records (inches) broken during August (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Figure 1: A graphical depiction of the monthly rainfall departure from normal (inches) for August is given in the figure below (courtesy of NOAA, NWS).
ENSO-neutral conditions continue in the Pacific. Neutral ENSO conditions continue to be reported for the equatorial Pacific. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SST) are greater than 0.5˚C above average across the eastern Pacific Ocean. The chances have increased for El Niño to begin September 2012 and continue through the winter of 2012-2013. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) predicts normal temperatures for the state and above normal precipitation in the western Panhandle through November.
Hazardous weather events in August. August was a fairly active month for hazardous weather across the state.
Table 4: Breakdown of storm reports submitted in Florida during the month of August. (Compiled from Southeast Regional Climate Center.)
Tropical Storm Isaac
Tropical Storm Isaac passed just to the west of the Florida Keys before making landfall as a hurricane near Port Fourchon, LA, during the early morning hours of August 29. While Isaac never directly hit Florida, the size of the storm caused the impacts to be felt over a widespread area, affecting a large portion of the state. Here are just some of the impacts felt here in Florida during the storm:
View from Brevard County prior to Isaac’s passage. Credit: FL-BV-11.
Tornadoes/Waterspouts
EF-0 tornados were reported in both Jackson (near Greenwood) and Holmes (Graceville) counties in the Panhandle. The Jackson County tornado touched down in a rural area and did little damage, while the tornado near Graceville uprooted some trees and tore a porch off a mobile home. Another EF-0 tornado touched down near Vero Beach (Indian River County) on the 27th and impacted the Vero Palm Estates Countryside Mobile Home Park. A waterspout moved ashore from Tampa Bay and damaged 6 residences on Maple Ave near 22nd Street in Tampa.
Storm Surge
The storm surge associated with Isaac ranged from a little over a foot to about 3.5 feet. However, once that is combined with the tide (which ranged from 2 to 4 feet), many areas saw coastal inundation with the surge. There was minor flooding in Saint Marks, FL (Wakulla County), and Water Street in Apalachicola (Franklin County) was under water. Saint George Island State Park reported surf passing the dune line and flooding the parking areas. Surf heights at the park were estimated between 6 and 8 feet and caused moderate beach erosion. St. Joe State Park (Gulf County) was closed due to water inundation, and some roads near downtown Panama City (Bay County) and West Bay were under water. Along Panama City Beach, moderate beach erosion was reported with surf estimated between 8 and 10 feet. Areas to the west of Panama City Beach also experienced high surf conditions and moderate erosion, along with strong rip currents. Most of the beaches along northwest Florida were closed prior to Labor Day Weekend.
Damaged dunes along Okaloosa Island.
Surge also affected parts of coastal Levy, Pinellas, Lee, Hillsborough and Manatee counties, and there was flooding along the Hillsborough River during high tide. The high surge, in combination with the rainfall, led to flooding in East Venice (Sarasota County) near the Myakka River.
In South Florida, moderate to locally heavy beach erosion was reported along all south Florida beaches. The southern coast of Collier County had the highest surge in the south part of the state, with about 3 feet estimated from Marco Island to Everglades City, which caused some minor coastal flooding issues in low lying areas.
Rainfall/Flooding
Portions of Highlands and Polk counties received 4.00-6.00” of rain, and numerous reports of 4.00” rainfall came out of Pasco County. US 98, south of Sebring, was closed on the 27th due to standing water on the road. Central and southwest Florida saw 0.50”-4.00”, while the Panhandle and Big Bend regions reported 2.00”-5.00” from Isaac.
Southeast Florida took the brunt of the rainfall from Isaac with observed two-day rainfall totals from the area ranging between 3.00-16.00”. Significant flooding was reported in the metro area of Broward County (Lauderhill, Tamarac and Coral Springs). Roadways were mainly impacted, though some homes and businesses had water damage. Southwest metro area also had flooding issues, but not as bad as northern parts. Severe flooding was reported in large parts of metro Palm Beach County. The hardest hit area was from the Florida Turnpike to Boca Raton, with measured rainfall at 10.00-16.00”, though radar estimates were up to 20.00”. Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, and Loxahatchee suffered the worst of the flooding, with entire neighborhoods isolated by several feet of water and over topped canals.
Radar estimates of rainfall over south Florida. Credit: NWS Miami.
The National Hurricane Center will release its final report on Isaac (along with rest of the tropical storms/hurricanes that have impacted the United States) at the end of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season.
Agricultural and other climate-related impacts. Levy and Gilchrist counties started to harvest peanuts at the beginning of August. Washington County saw a flurry of activity as corn, peanuts and soybeans were being harvested, while corn was picked in Madison County. Vegetable growers increased the pace of land preparation, fumigating and laying plastic for fall crops. Citrus fertilizer and grove maintenance continued. Statewide, most of the pasturelands had improved due to the frequent rainfall, though some issues with lingering drought, disease and insects had been reported. By the middle of the month, the frequent rains were causing a variety of issues in northern parts of the state. Rain caused harvesting and disease problems in Gulf (peanuts), Jefferson (peanuts) and Washington (peanuts and cotton) counties. Some pastures (Okaloosa and Jefferson counties) reported diseases. The sugarcane crop (Glades County) looked good, and preparations (Collier, Lee, Hendry, Glades and Charlotte counties) for fall vegetables continued. Rain continued to hinder harvesting operations in the northern part of the state toward the end of the month. In Washington County, rust on soybeans, white mold in peanuts and leaf spot in cotton were reported. Hillsborough County began preparations for strawberries. Cattle conditions across the state ranged from very poor to excellent, with most reporting fair to excellent, though pasture conditions in some areas were limited due to drought, disease and flooding depending on location. At the end of August, white mold (peanuts) was reported in Jackson, Jefferson and Santa Rosa counties. Cypress and wetlands saw water levels rise in many low areas. Gulf, Flagler, and Putnam counties halted hay harvesting due to the daily rains. Vegetable growers in southwestern counties were using throw-out pumps to control high water levels. Tropical Storm Isaac caused wide spread rain and flooding crop related issues across the state, though the rains did improve pasture conditions in some areas.
The frequent rains during the early part of August helped ease the lingering drought conditions across the state. Prior to Tropical Storm Isaac’s impact, all of the dry conditions (D0) across the Panhandle and in northeastern Florida had been alleviated by above normal summer-time rains. An area of D0 expanded from Monroe and Collier counties across areas close to the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee to portions of the East Coast. The water level of Lake Okeechobee around this time was just above 12 feet. Torrential rains from Tropical Storm Isaac brought much needed, and in some cases too much, rainfall to portions of south Florida. The rains wiped out what remaining dryness had been in the state, and as of the August 28th release of the Drought Monitor, the state was drought-free for the first time since May 2010. The September 4th water level reported at Lake Okeechobee had risen to 14.24 feet, which is still below normal for this time of year.
Figure 2: Drought conditions in Florida as of August 28, 2012 (courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor).
Appendix 1: Additional August departures from normal data for Florida locations.
Appendix 2: Select daily maximum and minimum temperature records (° F) tied or broken during August (compiled from NOAA, NWS).
Appendix 3: June - August precipitation departures from normal data for Florida locations
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