Flash Flood — Palm Beach, Florida

2012-08-26 to 2012-08-27 · near Boca Raton, Palm Beach, Florida

Event narrative

Moderate to severe flooding affected a large portion of metro Palm Beach County west of the Florida Turnpike. Hardest hit communities include The Acreage, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee and Wellington. Canals were overtopped and communities were stranded by high water for several days after the rains stopped. Few homes suffered water damage, but major damage was sustained to infrastructure, including roads and water management structures.

Rainfall amounts as high as 16 inches were measured in Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee, with estimates in excess of 18 inches in a two-day period.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Isaac moved west-northwest across the Florida Straits south of the Florida Keys on August 26. The northern edge of the wind and rain area associated with Isaac affected the South Florida peninsula throughout the day on the 26th. Isaac continued on a west-northwest track into the Gulf of Mexico on the 27th with winds, rain and flooding continuing over parts of South Florida.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (26.3427, -80.1727)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 411229. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.