Tropical Storm — Coastal Collier County, Florida

2024-09-26 to 2024-09-27 · Coastal Collier County, Florida

Event narrative

Sustained tropical storm force winds around 40 mph were observed across much of coastal Collier County on September 26th. A highest wind gust of 58 kts / 67 mph was recorded at Naples Municipal Airport at 3:08 PM. Wind damage was primarily to trees, although some weaker structures suffered minor roof and lanai/porch damage. An estimated 25,000 customers lost electricity during the event.

Damage totals from wind are estimated and are for all of Collier County.

Wider weather episode

The center of Hurricane Helene passed about 200 miles west of Naples as a Category 3 hurricane moving N-NE over the eastern Gulf of Mexico around midday on Thursday, September 26th, then made landfall later that evening in the Florida Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and lowest central pressure of 938 mb. The large wind field around Helene brought tropical storm force winds to a good portion of southern Florida, with the most consistent area of sustained tropical storm force winds over western Collier County on September 26th. Brief but strong tropical storm force wind gusts affected the remainder of southern Florida. Some of the strong wind gusts associated with Helene were not directly associated with rainbands, but due to the very strong pressure gradient and daytime heating which acted to mix down strong winds just above the surface. Most locations experienced some wind damage, primarily to trees. Sections of Collier County observed minor roof and structural damage from wind.

Significant coastal flooding occurred along the Collier County coast from storm surge.

The first flooding episode, of up to moderate levels, occurred with the high tide on the morning and midday of September 26th when the initial storm surge from Helene reached the area. The subsequent low tide was muted by increasing surge from the major hurricane, with the highest and most impactful flooding occurring during the evening/night high tide cycle of September 26th and early morning of September 27th.

Tide levels reached 4.02 ft above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) at Naples Bay near the city dock, and NWS storm surveys indicated an 3-4 feet above ground in beachfront locations in Naples, and 1-3 feet above ground in Marco Island, Goodland, Everglades City, and Chokoloskee. Storm surge flooding mainly affected streets and parking lots, but several structures near and along the coast had minor to moderate water intrusion.

Two EF-0 tornadoes impacted Collier County with very minor damage.

The total effects of Helene in South Florida resulted in about $1.3 million in damage, almost entirely from storm surge flooding in coastal Collier County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1217146. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.