Storm Surge/Tide — Coastal Escambia, Florida

2008-09-01 · Coastal Escambia, Florida

Event narrative

As Gustav moved south and west of the area higher than normal tides caused beach erosion on Santa Rosa Sound. The storm tide height was estimated at 3-4 feet across the area with the surge height estimated at 2.5-3.5 feet. The high tide forced residents of a condo on Pensacola Beach to move to higher floors as water splashed over the dunes and covered part of the lower floor of the condo. The Pensacola tide gage measured a storm tide height of 4.1 feet with a surge height of 3.4 feet. Damage estimates from the surge were $250K.

Wider weather episode

Gustav moved south and west of the northwest Florida coast and brought higher than normal tides to the area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 134496. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.