Hurricane (Typhoon) — Coastal Flagler, Florida

2024-10-09 to 2024-10-10 · Coastal Flagler, Florida

Event narrative

Flagler County experience Hurricane force wind gusts mainly along the coast ranging from 45-92 mph which led to downed trees and powerlines as well as roof damage being reported across much of the county. It should be noted the 92 mph wind gust reported at a WeatherStem site at Marineland remains suspect. The combination of heavy rainfall and surge flooding led to extensive flooding across Flagler county.

Widespread 5-9 inches of rain were reported, with the highest storm total measured at 9.36 inches in Bunnell at 1:10 am on 10/10. On 10/10 at 1:55 am, a mesonet site 1 mile ESE of Flagler Beach measured 5.59 inches of storm total rainfall thus far. On 10/10 at 2:16 am, a mesonet site 3 miles S of Palm Coast had measured 5.51 inches of rainfall. At 3:44 am, the public about 4 miles NW of Flagler Beach measured 5.61 inches of storm total rainfall.

Storm surge from Milton led to an overwash on A1A in Marineland near Old A1A and in Flagler Beach. Portions of A1A were closed due to sand over the roadway. Per a professional boat captain, peak storm surge in northeast Palm Coast was 4 ft and 6 inches. On a NWS storm survey, the WCM measured a surge value (marked by a seedline) of 10 inches from the intracoastal waterway on a house along Windward Dr and Intracoastal Dr in Beverly Beach. The Flagler EM reported the salt water canals were 23 inches over the top in Palm Coast. Widespread street flooding, flooded docks, and road closures were reported across Palm Coast and Flagler Beach areas due to heavy rainfall and storm surge. Floodwaters inundated a home along Perthshire Ln in Palm Coast with floodwaters reaching up to a woman's ankles. Floodwaters in the streets appeared to reach halfway up a car's tire. According to the Flagler Sheriff, a swift water rescue of a family was conducted in Palm Coast when their truck became stranded in floodwaters. On 10/11, a NWS Storm Survey reported ongoing tidal flooding all along South Flagler Avenue to the south of 23rd Street South. A1A in Flagler Beach remained closed.

Street flooding from rainfall as well as overflow from creeks, canals, and lakes were present across the inland portions of the county.

Multiple buildings in Flagler Beach suffered roof damage, including City Hall. A local motel had its roofs' blown off. Numerous trees were reported down across roads and on power lines in Palm Coast. A snapped tree fell on a home along Lloyd Trail in Palm Coast and destroyed the roof. Another tree fell on a car in the W Section of Palm Coast and totaled the car. Fences were damaged either by strong wind gusts or fallen trees in Palm Coast. A screened enclosure was damaged by a fallen tree along Courtney Pl in Palm Coast.

The first rainband came through on the morning of Oct. 9th at 1000 am with 1423W Fswn Flagler County Em Marineland measuring a gust of 41 mph. At 12:40 pm, the same station measured a wind gust of 47 mph. Winds begin to ramp up in the evening of Oct. 9th with peak winds occurring on Oct. 10th between 12-4 AM EDT. Between 7-8 PM EDT on Oct. 9th, 1423W Fswn Flagler County Em Marineland measures gusts beginning with 50 mph to 56 mph. At 9 PM, Fswn Flagler County Em Marineland reported 59 mph wind gusts with sustained winds of 49 mph. At 9:15 PM, FW7349 Flagler Beach observation site reported a wind gust of 50 mph with sustained wind speed of 31 mph. At 9:50 PM, Fswn Flagler County Em Marineland reported a wind gust of 64 mph. At 10:10 PM, 1334W 1.6 E Palm Coast WeatherSTEM station measured a wind gust of 50 mph with sustained wind of 40 mph. At 10:47 on 10/9, a mesonet site about 1 mile NNE of Palm Coast measured a wind gust of 52 mph. At 11 pm, a mesonet site 2 miles east of Palm Coast reported a gust of 55 mph and the Marineland mesonet had a gust of 67 mph. At 11:50 pm, a mesonet site 1 mile ESE of Flagler Beach measured a gust of 60 mph. At 12 am on 10/10, the Marineland mesonet site

reported a gust of 69 mph and a mesonet site 2 miles east of Palm Coast reported a gust of 58 mph. At 12:20 am, the Marineland mesonet site measured a sustained wind of 57 mph with a gust of 73 mph. At 12:56 am, a spotter in Flagler Beach reported a measured wind gust of 72 mph. At 1:10 am, the mesonet site about 2 miles east of Palm Coast measured a gust of 68 mph. At 1:25 am, a mesonet site about 3 miles ENE of Bunnell reported a sustained wind of 54 mph. At 1:37 am, a spotter in Flagler Beach measured a sustained wind of 48 mph with a gust of 76 mph. At 1:40 am, the Marineland mesonet station measured a wind gust of 76 mph and then at 1:50 am the site reported a wind gust of 84 mph.

NOTE: The Marineland mesonet site was on the higher end of observations, even higher than some gusts reported near the eyewall closer to Cape Canaveral. The data is suspect.

On Oct. 9th at 8 AM, Flagler county issued a mandatory evacuation for residents living in Mobile Homes and RV's, and specific areas for their coastal and island communities, including Marineland, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach.

Flagler County Emergency Management reported that the county suffered an estimated $18.8 million in damages.

Wider weather episode

A tropical disturbance over the southwest Gulf of Mexico quickly developed into Tropical Storm

Milton on Saturday, October 5th. Milton then moved slowly east-southeastward, strengthening into a

hurricane the following day. On Monday, October 7th, the storm underwent rapid intensification,

reaching Category 5 strength as it neared the northwestern coast of Mexico's Yucatn Peninsula. Late

on Monday and into Tuesday, Milton shifted eastward and then northeastward across the

southeastern Gulf of Mexico.

As Milton approached Florida's Gulf coast on Wednesday, October 9th, it began to gradually weaken,

but still maintained major hurricane status. The storm made landfall that evening near Siesta Key on

Florida's west coast as a strong Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

While it weakened further as it crossed central Florida overnight, Milton remained a hurricane. By

early Thursday morning, October 10th, it emerged off Florida's Atlantic coast as a Category 1 storm.

Milton caused widespread impacts across north-central and northeast Florida, as well as coastal

southeast Georgia. Flagler County, along with large portions of St. Johns, Putnam, and Marion

counties, experienced sustained tropical storm-force winds and hurricane-force gusts. Rainfall

amounts ranged from 7 to 11 inches as outer rainbands and the storm's powerful northern side

swept through these areas late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.

This heavy rainfall caused Deep Creek, a tributary of the St. Johns River in St. Johns County, to reach

record levels on Thursday, October 10th, surpassing the previous record set during Hurricane Irma in

2017. This led to extensive flooding throughout the southern half of St. Johns County, particularly in

the Flagler Estates community and the towns of Hastings and Spuds. Additionally, record flooding was

observed along Haw Creek in western Flagler County, exceeding the previous record set in the

aftermath of Hurricane Ian in 2022.

Storm surge flooding of around 3 feet above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) was recorded along

the St. Johns River and the northeast Florida coast. Significant inundation was reported along the

lower St. Johns River, with widespread flooding in areas such as Welaka, FL.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1213112. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.