Tropical Storm — Hamilton, Florida

2004-09-04 to 2004-09-07 · Hamilton, Florida

Event narrative

Hurricane "Frances"Hurricane "Frances" made landfall along the central Florida coast and, as a weakening system, moved west-northwest across central Florida and then northwestwards into southwest Georgia. This motion brought the area into the periphery of the storm and north Florida experienced sustained tropical storm force winds with gusts to near hurricane force. Across the Suwannee Valley heavy rainfall resulted in extensive flooding in many locations. The lowest north Florida Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) of 987.8/29.16 in Hg was recorded in Ocala as the center moved to the southwest of the city. The lowest MSLP readings across north Florida ranged from 987.8/29.16 in HG at Ocala Airport (KOCF) to 1002.7 mb/29.61 in Hg at the National Ocean Systems (NOS) Tide Gage in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Maximum sustained winds recorded were 56 knots/64 mph at the St. Augustine CMAN site (SAUF1) at the St. Augustine Pier. The peak gust was also recorded at SAUF1 with 71 knots/82 mph reported on the evening of the 5th. Generally inland stations (ASOS, AWOS III and mesonet stations) reported sustained winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts of 40 to 65 mph. Extensive tree blow down occurred in bands with roof and some structural damage. Most structural damage was associated with mobile homes and generally weakly constructed permanent structures. Several cases of large trees destroying manufactured homes were observed, especially across Clay, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns Counties.Wave heights of 10 to 20 feet were recorded across the coastal waters with tides running one to two feet above astronomical tide levels. Extensive beach erosion occurred due to long duration of onshore winds due both to "Frances" and a period of onshore flow preceding the event.Rainfall totals across north Florida generally ranged from 5 to 15 inches. The heaviest rainfall was associated with a rainband which moved out of Apalachee Bay across north Florida and the Suwannee Valley. This band dropped between 10 and 16 inches of rain from near Ocala through the Suwannee Valley. Peak Rainfall reports with this band are 15.84 inches in High Springs, Florida; 14.84 at Lake Butler, Florida; and 13.63 inches at Orange Springs, Florida. Extensive sheet flooding, river flooding and road washouts occurred with this band. Numerous homes were flooded across the entire region with the Trenton and Lake City areas especially hard hit. Most rivers in the region were pushed to flood stage with several approaching record flood. Portions of Interstate 10 were closed due to flooding.Tornadoes occurred across the region with over 20 confirmed touchdowns. The banded nature of the Tropical Storm wind damage made it very difficult to differentiate between wind damage and tornado damage in subsequent storm damage surveys. No fatalities or injuries occurred due to tornado touchdowns.Overall extensive tree blow down, power outages and roadways blocked by trees were reported in all areas. In the heavy rainfall areas many dirt and secondary roads were left impassable for up to a week.Fatalities all occurred in Alachua County, Florida. 09/05/04, 1100 EST a 28 year old male lost control of his vehicle while northbound on Interstate 75 near Micanopy. The Vehicle hydroplaned and skidded into a wooded area wrapping the vehicle around trees. KGNV observation at 1100 EST, winds 050 degrees 24 mph (21 knots) with gusts to 43 mph (37 knots). Visibility was 7 miles in light rain. 09/05/04, 1815 EST A 61 year old woman was killed when a tree toppled onto her mobile home. 4 persons were in the home when the tree fell. Alachua County Emergency Management received the report at 1819 EST. KGNV observation at 1909 EST, winds 060 degrees 37 mph (32 knots) with gusts to 47 mph (41 knots). 09/06/04 1825 EST, An 86 year old woman died in a house fire related to the storm. Due to power outages she was using candles for lighting, fell asleep and the smoldering candles ignited a fire in her home killing her.09/04/04, 1200 EST, A man and his dog were on board a boat when it capsized in a heavy squall. The dog was found the following day alive, but the man's body was recovered several days later.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5420316. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.