Hurricane (Typhoon) — Coastal Palm Beach, Florida

2005-08-25 to 2005-08-26 · Coastal Palm Beach, Florida

Wider weather episode

A tropical wave that moved across the Atlantic from near the west coast of Africa eventually spawned the tropical cyclone that became hurricane Katrina. The tropical wave became a tropical depression near the central Bahamas late on August 22. The depression moved slowly northwest and became tropical storm Katrina on August 24 near the northwest Bahama Islands then turned west and intensified to a hurricane on August 25, a few hours before making landfall on the southeast Florida Coast.The center of the ragged 25-mile-wide eye of Katrina made landfall around 6:30 PM EDT, Thursday, August 25 near the Broward/Miami-Dade County border then moved toward the southwest across central and southwest Miami-Dade County, passing directly over the National Weather Service (NWS) Office in Sweetwater. Katrina briefly weakened to a tropical storm before exiting the Florida peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico early on August 26 just north of Cape Sable in mainland Monroe County then quickly regained hurricane strength in the southeast Gulf of Mexico. The distribution of winds and rain near the center of Katrina while passing across the south Florida peninsula were asymmetrical with the strongest winds and heaviest rain located to the south and east of the center.Measurements from reconnaissance aircraft and Miami Doppler Weather Radar estimated maximum sustained winds in Katrina to be 80 mph. The maximum reported sustained surface wind over the south Florida peninsula was 72 mph measured atop a building at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) on Virginia Key. This wind value was determined by adjusting the actual wind speed to the standard anemometer height of 10 meters. This same site recorded an unadjusted peak wind speed of 94 mph. The anemometer atop the Miami Weather Forecast Office in Sweetwater measured a sustained wind of 69 mph. Maximum sustained winds measured at the NWS Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) sites included 60 mph at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 50 mph at Tamiami Airport in West Kendall and 48 mph at Miami International Airport.The maximum ASOS-measured peak wind gusts included 82 mph at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 78 mph at Miami International Airport and 76 mph at Tamiami Airport in West Kendall. Other unofficial peak wind gust measurements included 97 mph at Homestead General Airport, 92 mph at Port Everglades, 87 mph at the Miami Weather Forecast Office in Sweetwater, 77 mph at Marco Island, 76 mph at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) on Virginia Key, and 64 mph at Boca Raton Airport. The minimum pressure measured over the south Florida peninsula was 983.1 millibars at the NWS site in Sweetwater.Rainfall amounts were excessive across portions of south Miami-Dade County causing flooding of structures, vehicles, crop lands and nurseries. A maximum storm total amount of 16.33 inches, of which 15.10 inches fell in a 24-hour period, was measured by a cooperative observed in Perrine. Other heavy storm total amounts in south Miami-Dade County included 14.04 inches at Homestead Air Reserve Base, 12.25 inches near Florida City and 11.13 inches near Cutler Ridge. Most of the remainder of metropolitan Miami-Dade County and all of metropolitan Broward and Palm Beach counties generally received rain amounts of two to four inches. Rainfall over interior south Florida ranged from one to three inches with mostly less than one inch over coastal Collier County.Mostly minor beach erosion and isolated incidence of coastal flooding were observed. The maximum storm tide was estimated at three to five feet along the southwest Florida coast in mainland Monroe County. This caused water damage to several homes, trailers and vehicles at Flamingo in Everglades National Park early on August 26. Other maximum storm tide values included 3.0 feet at Naples Pier along the southwest coast at 2.1 feet at Virginia Key on the southeast coast.A total of six persons are known to have died directly as a result of the winds and water. Three of the deaths, all in Broward County, were associated with trees or tree limbs that were blown down, striking people. The other three deaths, all in Miami-Dade County, were associated with drownings, two on boats and one under unknown circumstances. In addition at least another six people died from indirect hurricane effects including three from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by generators, one in a vehicle accident, one during debris cleanup and one associated with a lack of electricity. Several people were injured, including five or six related to carbon monoxide poisoning.Total damage in south Florida was estimated at around $100 million. Between 100 and 200 houses suffered significant damage, mainly in south Miami-Dade due to flooding. Wind damage was mainly to vegetation, signs, and watercraft. Winds and flooding combined caused an estimated $423 million in losses to agriculture and nurseries.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5470155. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.