Flood — Volusia, Florida

2009-05-19 to 2009-05-24 · near Deltona, Volusia, Florida

Event narrative

Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall over five days lead to several feet of standing water in many areas of eastern Volusia County. Rainfall totals reached 18 to 28 inches in several coastal areas. In addition to the accumulation of rain water, onshore flow and high tides over northeast Florida restricted water from draining into the intracoastal waterways, leading to a persistence of high water levels in many neighborhoods. Damage surveys determined 1531 homes were damaged in the county nearly 69 million dollars in damages and expenses. One indirect fatality was attributed to the flooding, when an intoxicated man fell into high waters and drowned. The man was last seen in Daytona Beach on May 21, and his body was discovered in Holly Hill on May 23.

Wider weather episode

Historic flooding across eastern Volusia County occurred as a result of nearly a week of heavy rains. The rains began on May 17 as a late season frontal boundary stalled over the region. A deep-layered low pressure system developed nearby on the 19th and plagued the region with strong and moist onshore flow and periods of training rains, until finally retrograding west into the central Gulf of Mexico on the 23rd. Rain totals in some coastal locations reached 15 to 20 inches by May 21, causing standing water levels to encroach many homes and businesses, especially in portions of Daytona Beach, Holly Hill, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach and Port Orange. Additional rainfall reached 5 to 10 inches in some of these areas by the 23rd, causing water damage over 1500 homes. Less serious flooding occurred across western Volusia County and adjacent portions of Lake and Seminole Counties where storm total rains reached 12 to 16 inches. One fatality was indirectly related to the storm.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (28.8930, -81.2357)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 171031. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.