Flash Flooding in Florida, December 13, 1997

Name: Flash Flooding in Florida, December 13, 1997
Start: 1997-12-13T13:00
End: 1997-12-13T23:30
Location: Florida

December 13, 1997 · NWS TBW · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

S. Highway 17 near the Hardee-De Soto county line.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.

Heavy rains caused flooding to homes along and near the Peace River along U.S. Highway 17 near the Hardee-De Soto county line. The Horse Creek in Hardee county also overflowed it's banks and caused minor to moderate water damage to homes and businesses. Damage in Hardee county from the flooding was estimated at $250,000.In Pinellas county, heavy rainfall caused flooding in two mobile home parks in Largo. The heavy rainfall seriously damaged road infrastructure along Curlew Road from County Road 1 to Belcher Road. Flooding of homes and roads also occurred in the Tarpon Woods area along Brooker Creek in Pinellas county. Damage in Pinellas county from the flood was estimated at $500,000.In Polk county, five to seven inches of rain fell from Lakeland south to Bartow and east to Auburndale and caused extensive road and infrastructure damage. Most of the damage occurred in the Green Swamp, along Spirit Lake Road, Misty Lake Road, Thornhill Road and Red Hawk Drive where eight to ten homes were flooded with six to twelve inches of water with isolated pockets up to four feet deep. Damage from the flood in Polk county was estimated at $750,000.In Sarasota county, six to eight inches of rain in less than twelve hours caused road and home flooding along Lockwood Ridge Road near Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota. Damage from the flood in Sarasota county was estimated $80,000.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Pinellas

When: December 13, 1:00 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where: Pinellas County, Countywide
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 27.903, -82.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Hardee

When: December 13, 1:00 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where: Hardee County, Wauchula
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 27.493, -81.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Polk

When: December 13, 1:00 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where: Polk County, Lakeland
Property damage: $750,000
Coordinates: 27.949, -81.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Sarasota

When: December 13, 1:00 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where: Sarasota County, Sarasota
Property damage: $80,000
Coordinates: 27.183, -82.365 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, December 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5623375, 5623376, 5623377, 5623378.