Storm Surge/Tide — Coastal Dixie, Florida

2023-08-30 · Coastal Dixie, Florida

Event narrative

The peak surge values observed were from Dekle Beach in Taylor County southeastward to Horseshoe Beach in Dixie County. Surge heights in this area along the immediate coast were within the range of 7 to 12 feet above normally dry ground. Some residents stated that the surge was higher than during The Storm of the Century storm in March 1993. Significant damage occurred along coastal areas. Lower values of up to 6 feet above normally dry ground were noted south of Horseshoe Beach near the community of Suwannee. In Horseshoe Beach itself, water surged through stilted homes on Main St. and inland to E. 6th Avenue, including a large metal building system on E. 10th Ave. An entire home (not stilted) was washed into the road at the intersection of W. 9th Ave. and W. 5th St. A pick-up truck was washed into a river near W. 8th Ave. Still water marks in the 4-5 foot range were common on the inland edge of town between 1st and 2nd Avenues. The inland extent of the storm surge was 2-2.5 miles inland from the Horseshoe Beach coastline, just shy of SW 782nd Ave. Roughly a foot of surge was noted at the water tower on SW 789th Ave. High water marks due to wave action on top of surge were measured to 14 ft. Significant storm surge also was noted in Jena across the Steinhatchee River from Steinhatchee, FL.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Idalia made landfall on the morning of August 30th along the coast of Taylor County Florida near Keaton Beach at approximately 745 am EDT. The hurricane made landfall with estimated sustained winds of 125 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the first major hurricane on record to make landfall in this portion of Florida. Hurricane Idalia moved inland across the eastern Florida Big Bend and into South Central Georgia during the morning hours. Strong winds caused extensive damage to trees, buildings, and infrastructure along a broad swath stretching west to Tallahassee and east beyond the Suwannee River. Significant and devastating storm surge accompanied the hurricane into the Taylor and Dixie County coasts, where water levels rose considerably, inundating numerous structures along the coast and flooding residences and businesses many miles inland. Significant damage to property and infrastructure was associated with the storm surge that will take a considerable time to rebuild. The peak surge values observed were from Dekle Beach in Taylor County southeastward to Horseshoe Beach in Dixie County. Surge heights in this area along the immediate coast were within the range of 7 to 12 feet above normally dry ground. Lower values of up to 6 feet above normally dry ground were noted south of Horseshoe Beach near the community of Suwannee. It should also be noted the storm made landfall around the time of low tide. Had the storm made landfall 6 hours later, around the time of high tide, peak water level values could have been between 3-4 feet higher. In the process of the high water mark surveys, interviews were conducted with several residents that lived in the area during the Storm of the Century, a non-tropical system that affected this portion of the Florida coastline on March 13, 1993. All of these residents interviewed from Keaton Beach to Horseshoe Beach indicated water levels that rivaled or exceeded those experienced in the 1993 'Storm of the Century.' Moreover, Dixie County Emergency Management noted that the inland extent of the storm surge from Hurricane Idalia moved much further inland from Horseshoe Beach than observed in The Storm of the Century. One direct fatality occurred in south-central Georgia as a result of the storm.

Damage estimates from Florida include $216.1 million spread over 21,525 insurance claims as of late September. An additional $447.9 million in agricultural losses was estimated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The following 16 counties in Florida were declared disasters by FEMA: Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, and Taylor. The agricultural losses were divided in the following ways: $93.6 million for field crops, $2.6 million for Fruits (non-citrus) and tree nuts, $68.8 million for greenhouse/nurseries, $157.6 million for animals and animal products (includes cattle, poultry, aquaculture and dairy), $60.6 million for vegetables and melons, and $64.7 million for forestry.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1131842. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.