Tropical Depression — Inland Palm Beach County, Florida

2016-10-06 to 2016-10-07 · Inland Palm Beach County, Florida

Event narrative

Hurricane Matthew produced maximum sustained winds generally between 25 and 35 mph across interior Palm Beach County throughout the afternoon and evening hours of October 6th and into the early morning hours of October 7th. A peak gust of 43 mph was measured at an AWS station, WSTPC, in Belle Glade, during the late evening hours. These winds produced downed trees across the region, resulting in up to 71, 000 customers without power across the county at the peak of the event. Measured rainfall amounts were between 2 and 2.75 across the inland metro area. Evacuations were recommended for residents of the county barrier islands and mobile-home parks, and many areas east of the US 1 corridor within the county. A few cities also issued mandatory evacuations for their jurisdictions. A total of 6,387 people took shelter in county shelters during the event. Wind damage estimates for all Palm Beach County zones are included in the Coastal Palm Beach County entry.

Wider weather episode

Major Hurricane Matthew moved northwest across the Central Bahamas during the day on October 6th, making it's closest approach to the East coast of South Florida during the early morning hours of October 7th. The hurricane brought tropical storm force gusts to Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, resulting in scattered trees and power lines down that led to numerous power outages. High seas and storm surge also brought moderate beach erosion and pier damage in Broward and Palm Beach Counties and minor beach erosion in Miami-Dade county. The following inundation values (height above mean higher high water) were measured along the coast: Lake Worth Pier: 1.49 feet and Virginia Key: 1.083 feet. Rainfall generally ranged from 2 to 3 inches with no impacts from inland flooding.

The collective effects of Hurricane Matthew in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties on October 6-7 resulted in about $32 million in beach-related damage and about $2 million in wind damage.

County by county impacts are as follows:

In Palm Beach County, trees were downed across the county, most numerous in the northern part of the county from Palm Beach Gardens to Jupiter and Tequesta. Winds also ripped multiple awnings off storefronts within the Downtown area of West Palm Beach. Tree and power line damage resulted in up to 71,000 customers without power at the peak of the event. Moderate beach erosion was reported along county beaches with the most significant erosion from Singer Island to Tequesta. Estimated damage to beaches is around $21 million. Evacuations were recommended for residents of the county barrier islands and mobile-home parks, and many areas east of the US 1 corridor within the county. A few cities also issued mandatory evacuations for their jurisdictions. A total of 6387 people took shelter in county shelters during the event. Wind damage totals are estimated around $1.3 million dollars.

In Broward County, the rough seas and beach erosion led to damage to the Deerfield Beach Pier. Trees and power lines were downed across the county, resulting in 11,000 customers without power at the peak of the storm. Voluntary evacuations were ordered for residents in low-lying areas and mobile homes.

In Miami-Dade County, a few trees and power lines were downed, resulting in over 16,000 customers without power at the peak of the event. Damages were estimated at $1.2 million dollar across the county. Voluntary evacuations were ordered for residents in low-lying areas and mobile homes, and a total of 700 people took shelter in county shelters during the event.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 662864. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.