Tropical Storm — Eastern Putnum, Florida

2022-09-28 to 2022-09-30 · Eastern Putnum, Florida

Event narrative

Major river flooding of the St Johns River and its tributaries occurred due to trapped tides, strong tropical storm force winds and storm surge. Minor river flooding began on Wednesday 9/28 and as strong ENE winds increased around Ian into Thursday, the river rose into moderate flood status Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. The peak storm surge inundation at Dunns Creek occurred Thursday night at 10:15 pm with total water inundation of 3.73 ft MHHW datum. This was a new record for this location and surpassed the old record of 3.67 ft previously on 10/7/2016 with Hurricane Matthew. Major flooding at this location begins at 3 ft MHHW.

The peak storm surge inundation at Buffalo Bluff also occurred Thursday evening at 11 pm with a peak surge of 3.36 ft agl MHHW datum. This was also a new record for that location and surpassed the old record stage of 3.2 ft MHHW previously set on 10/7/2016 with Hurricane Matthew. Major flooding for this location begins above 3 ft MHHW.

At 7 pm on Thursday 9/29, several homes flooded in the River Park West subdivision in Fruitland, near Lake George. Widespread, persistent river flooding continued through the following weekend (10/1 and 10/2) with flooding in the major to moderate categories and inundation of dozens of homes in Welaka and Satsuma.

There were 2 direct fatalities on Thu 9/29 when 2 victims in a vehicle lost control of their car on Cracker Swamp Road around 5:30 pm. The car overturned into a a water-filled ditch two victims where both drowned.

A direct storm fatality occurred when an elderly gentleman was attempting to repair a roof on Thu 9/29 on a ladder. A wind gust caused the ladder to fall with the man. The likely cause of death was trauma from the fall.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Ian made landfall as a powerful Category 4 Hurricane on the SW Florida peninsula coast near Punta Gorda on Wednesday, September 28th. The center tracked NE across south-central FL, north of Lake Okeechobee through Wednesday Night and then moved offshore of the central FL Atlantic coast Thursday Morning, September 29th, just near Cape Canaveral as a Tropical Storm. Ian regained Category 1 Hurricane Strength offshore of the northeast Florida Atlantic coast as it tracked NNE into Thursday Night and Friday morning as it made landfall along the South Carolina Atlantic coast. Locally, a strong nor'easter developed through the day Wednesday, September 28th, as a front lifted northward up the FL peninsula ahead of Ian. Tropical Storm force winds and bands of rainfall started to impact northeast Florida through the day Wednesday, the peak in local winds through the day Thursday as Ian's center tracked northward and offshore of the local Atlantic coast. Water levels increased within the St. Johns River basin Wednesday due to the strong nor'easter and annually high spring tides already created water level departures of 0.5 to 1 ft MHHW datum prior to the nor'easter further 'charging' the St. Johns River basin. The peak storm surge along the local Atlantic coast occurred Thursday, then the peak surge pressed into the St. Johns River basin Thursday night into Friday morning. Major to moderate tidal flooding continued into the weekend especially for Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties where trapped tides and northerly flow caused extended tidal flooding. Record setting rainfall occurred across the headwaters of the St. Johns River across east-central Florida, and water levels increased the week after Ian passed as the St. Johns River drains south to north, which was also leading up to the peak Spring tides between Oct 8th through Oct 11th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1051094. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.