Storm Surge/Tide — Pinellas, Florida

2005-07-10 · Pinellas, Florida

Wider weather episode

A bubble of storm surge from Hurricane Dennis moved north along the west Florida Gulf Coast during the day. The surge peaked at Fort Myers around 3:30 AM EDT, in Pinellas County between 8-9 AM EDT, and at Cedar Key just before noon. The surge into Tampa Bay was one to two hours later than the surge along the coast. Southwest Facing beaches along the Gulf of Mexico received average wave heights of 5 to 7 feet with occasional waves of 10 feet. Damage amounts listed occurred in Manatee, Pinellas, and Levy counties only and were a mix of beach erosion, flooded homes, and damage to marinas.Lee County: Fort Myers - Storm Surge 3.08 feet at 3:36 AM EDT, Storm Tide 3.20 feet at 4:54 AM EDT Minor beach erosion was reported. Charlotte County: Stump Pass Beach - Storm Surge estimated at 3 feet around 5 AM EDT. The surge and high surf from Hurricane Dennis delayed beach restoration projects and ate up 15 feet of beach and may have destroyed up to 80 percent of the area's sea turtle nests. A monetary amount regarding beach damage was not available. Sarasota County: Venice - Estimated Storm Surge 2.00 feet at 7:12 AM EDT Battering waves and high water on the 10th washed out part of a paved road at Turtle Beach Park and destroyed an 8-inch water main serving two condominiums in the area. Longboat Key suffered serious erosion and lost part of a $21 M beach restoration project that began in June. A monetary amount regarding beach damage was not available. Manatee County: Port Manatee - Storm Surge 2.87 feet at 8:36 AM EDT, Storm Tide 4.09 feet at 8:36 AM EDT Battering waves took 20 percent of the shoreline on parts of Anna Maria Island while other areas on the island gained sand. Damage was estimated at $1.75 million to replace 250,000 yards of sand from Anna Maria Island to Manatee Beach. Roughly 140 people evacuated to a shelter during the storm. Hillsborough County: McKay Bay - Storm Surge 3.39 feet at 9:54 AM EDT, Storm Tide 4.84 feet at 9:54 AM EDT Old Port of Tampa - Storm Surge 3.20 feet at 9:36 AM EDT, Storm Tide 4.63 feet at 9:36 AM EDT Tampa police closed a flooded portion of Bayshore Boulevard Sunday as the sea spray washed through the railing and accumulated on the road. No significant damage was reported. Pinellas County: Clearwater - Storm Surge 3.88 feet at 7:48 AM EDT, Storm Tide 5.15 feet at 7:48 AM EDT St. Petersburg - Storm Surge 3.19 feet at 8:54 AM EDT, Storm Tide 4.55 feet at 8:24 PM EDT A marina in St Petersburg suffered at least $2 million in damage as heavy winds and waves broke apart floating boat docks. About 45 of the 50 vessels made it out of the marina safely but a 64 foot yacht sank as it tried to dock at a nearby marina and six other boats received minor damage. Several neighborhoods and a few homes were flooded, including most streets in Madeira Beach and Redington Beach that face Boca Ciega Bay. Only 274 people heeded the recommendation to evacuate mobile homes and low lying areas. Major beach erosion was noted at Pass-a-Grille where 40 feet of the 100 feet beach was lost. Other areas with minor to major beach erosion included areas around Sand Key, Redington Beach and Redington Shores. Dennis destroyed 60 of 71 turtle nests on the beaches in the county. Hernando County: Coastal flooding came up to the sea wall with wave action topping the wall. Three homes had minor damage in the coastal area of Spring Hill. Citrus County: Fort Island Trail Beach west of Crystal River was overwashed due to the 3 foot above normal tides and one home in Ozella reported water damage. Levy County: Cedar Key - Storm Surge 4.81 feet at 11:12 AM EDT, Storm Tide 7.79 feet at 1:54 PM EDT About 3 feet of water covered State Road 23 west of the #4 Bridge and the airport and numerous roads were closed in Cedar Key due to the above normal tides. Yankeetown streets were covered with 10 inches of water and County Road 40A west of the city was closed due to water on the road. Moderate beach erosion was reported on Cedar Key. Water damage at Cedar Key was limited to 20 business and $500 thousand.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5463535. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.