Flooding in Florida, March 8, 1998

Name: Flooding in Florida, March 8, 1998
Start: 1998-03-08T02:00
End: 1998-03-08T06:00
Location: Florida

March 8, 1998 · NWS MOB · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong persistent southerly windflow caused water to pile up between Destin and Perdido Bay. High waves caused sand to wash out near Norriego Point which allowed a stream of water to crash over into normally tranquil Destin Harbor.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $80,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 MOB wrote it up.

Coastal Flooding...A strong persistent southerly windflow caused water to pile up between Destin and Perdido Bay. High waves caused sand to wash out near Norriego Point which allowed a stream of water to crash over into normally tranquil Destin Harbor. Some beach erosion occurred from Navarre Beach to Fort Pickens. Sand was blown across County Road 399 between Navarre Beach and Fort Pickens and had to be cleared several times to allow vehicles to travel over it.

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Coastal Okaloosa

When: March 8, 2:00 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Coastal Okaloosa forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000

Flood, Coastal Santa Rosa

When: March 8, 2:00 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Coastal Santa Rosa forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000

Flood, Coastal Escambia

When: March 8, 2:00 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Coastal Escambia forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, March 1998

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: 5639827, 5639828, 5639829.