Storm Surge/Tide — Coastal Gulf, Florida

2012-08-28 · Coastal Gulf, Florida

Wider weather episode

For the most part, Hurricane Isaac missed the eastern Panhandle and Big Bend of Florida. However, the outer remnants of Hurricane Isaac spawned a couple of funnel clouds and tornadoes, and some coastal flooding did occur across portions of Wakulla, Franklin, Gulf, and Bay counties in association with the storm surge.

Significant erosion occurred across Franklin county with estimates of around $500K in damage from erosion from a WCTV news article. The storm surge was measured at 3.45 feet at Apalachicola at 1200 UTC on the 28th with a total storm tide of 3.92 inches. The storm surge was measured at 2.50 feet at Panama City at 1400 UTC on the 28th with a total storm tide of 3.50 feet. Also in Franklin county, Water Street in Apalachicola flood with over one foot of water in some places. Some flooding occurred in Saint George Island State Park with water passing the dune line and flooding parking areas. Surf heights were in excess of 6 to 8 feet.

In Wakulla county, minor coastal flooding was reported in typical flood prone areas around Saint Marks. Two to four inches of water was reported inside a few businesses in Saint Marks. One vacant home experienced minor water intrusion around the time of highest tide in Shell Point.

In Gulf county, Indian Pass Road flooded around the time of high tide. Saint Joseph State Park was closed due to water inundating the access road.

In Bay County, there was minor inundation of a few roads in downtown Panama City near 7th Avenue. Water depth ranged between a few inches to one foot in places. Flooding of roads was also reported in areas of Lynn Haven closer to West Bay. Very high surf resulted in moderate beach erosion with surf heights in excess of 8 to 10 feet.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 396979. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.