Tropical Storm — Inland Collier County, Florida

2024-10-09 to 2024-10-10 · Inland Collier County, Florida

Event narrative

Maximum sustained winds were in the 35 to 40 mph range across inland Collier County. The strongest winds of tropical storm force occurred on October 9th. The highest sustained wind of 40 mph was recorded in East Naples on October 9th at 413 PM, with a peak gust of 58 mph recorded at Immokalee Airport at 11:15 PM on October 9th.

at the same location at . There was minor wind damage with general tree and power line damage observed across a good portion of the county. Multiple factors (tornadoes, wind, and storm surge flooding) lead to damages across coastal Collier County. Across Collier County as a whole, Hurricane Milton led to property damage estimated at $280 million with a total of 88 structures incurring major damage and 224 with minor damage. An estimated 85% of customers in the county lost power.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Milton became a Category 5 hurricane in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Monday, October 7th about 735 miles SW of Tampa while moving east-southeast, then turned east and northeast on Tuesday, October 8th while maintaining Category 4 and 5 strength. Milton's maximum winds decreased as it approached the Florida peninsula on Wednesday, October 9th, and made landfall near Siesta Key as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and a minimum central pressure of 954 mb. The outer circulation of Milton began affecting South Florida late on October 8th, with sustained tropical storm force winds spreading across much of the region through the early morning hours of Thursday, October 10th.

A total of 15 tornadoes were recorded across South Florida on Wednesday, October 9th, two of these reaching EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Moderate to major coastal flooding occurred most of the Collier County coast, mainly on October 9th from late morning through the overnight. Inundation above ground was in the 2-4 foot range across much of the beach and bayfront locations across the county, with a maximum estimated inundation of near 5 feet in Chokoloskee. The tide level at the NOS gauge in Naples Bay near the city dock reached 5.08 ft above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW).

A total of 2,900 people evacuated to refuge centers in Collier County, and about 1,000 in Palm Beach County.

All of the associated effects of Milton in South Florida resulted in 10 injuries and at least $361 million in property damage. The 15 tornadoes associated with Milton resulted in 10 injuries and at least $81 million in damage, mainly in Palm Beach and Glades counties.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1220090. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.