Florida, 2002

Storm Surge and Flash Flooding in Florida, September 14 to 15, 2002

September 14 to 15, 2002 · NWS TAE · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

4 flash flood, 3 storm surge/tide, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$205,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 14, 8:00 AM EST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 14, 8:00 AM EST, 4 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
900 AM EDT SAT SEP 14 2002

LOOKING AT KMOB RADAR...THE CENTER OF TS HANNA IS NEAR DAUPHIN
ISLAND AND ABOUT TO MOVE INTO MOBILE BAY. THE LATEST OBSERVATION
FROM DAUPHIN ISLAND REPORTED EAST WINDS OF 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 52
MPH.

CLOSER TO HOME...BANDS OF HEAVY RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS ARE
SPIRALING ACROSS THE PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND. ALL WATCHES AND
WARNINGS CONTINUE IN EFFECT AND ARE LISTED BELOW. MAIN THREAT FOR US
TODAY AND THIS EVENING WILL BE ISOLATED TORNADOS AND THE POTENTIAL
FOR FLOODING WITH EXPECTED ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS UPWARDS TO 5
INCHES. WILL MONITOR BOTH SITUATIONS CLOSELY.

MARINE: WINDS ACROSS OUR PANHANDLE WATERS ARE SUSTAINED AT 25 KNOTS
WITH GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS. SEAS ARE 10 FEET. ACROSS APALACHEE BAY WINDS
ARE 20 KNOTS GUSTING TO 25 KNOTS WITH SEAS AT 7 FEET.

.TLH...
.AL...FLOOD WATCH ALL ZONES.
      TORNADO WATCH ALL ZONES UNTIL NOON SATURDAY CDT.
.GA...FLOOD WATCH ALL ZONES.
.FL...TROPICAL STORM WARNING FLZ08-12-14 AND 15 FROM APALACHICOLA W.
      TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT FOR ALL COUNTIES
      WEST OF APALACHICOLA RIVER.
      FLOOD WATCH ALL ZONES THROUGH 8PM SATURDAY.
      SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY GMZ755-775 (APALACH BAY).

BARRY

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, 3 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Storm Surge/Tide, Gulf

When
September 14, 12:00 PM EST to September 15, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Gulf County, Southwest Portion
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
29.909, -85.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm surge heights of two to three feet caused minor beach erosion near Cape San Blas and Mexico Beach. One home on Cape San Blas was damaged. Reported by the Gulf County EMA.

Storm Surge/Tide, Bay

When
September 14, 12:00 PM EST to September 15, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Bay County, Panama City Beach
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
30.238, -85.633 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm surge heights of three feet caused minor beach erosion. Reported by the Bay County EMA.

Storm Surge/Tide, Walton

When
September 14, 12:00 PM EST to September 15, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Walton County, Grayton Beach
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
30.619, -86.171 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm surge heights of four feet caused minor erosion along the Grayton, Miramar, Seagrove and Santa Rosa beaches. Reported by the Walton County EMA.

Flash Flood, Walton

When
September 14, 9:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Walton County, Countywide
Property damage
$125,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
30.619, -86.171 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Torrential rainfall produced significant flooding in the Ponce De Leon area on State Highway 81. Up to eight inches of water covered several roads. Gusty winds and saturated grounds downed several trees and power lines. Reported by the Walton County EMA.

Flash Flood, Bay

When
September 14, 10:30 PM EST to September 15, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Bay County, North Portion
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
30.238, -85.633 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to four inches of rain caused flooding of a few county roads. Reported by the Bay County EMA.

Flash Flood, Calhoun

When
September 14, 11:00 PM EST to September 15, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Calhoun County, Countywide
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.406, -85.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of rain flooded a few county roads. Reported by the Calhoun County Sheriff.

Flash Flood, Holmes

When
September 14, 11:00 PM EST to September 15, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Holmes County, East Portion
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.868, -85.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Minor street flooding in Bonifay. Reported by the Holmes County EMA.

What these are

Storm Surge/Tide
Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.
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

More

Every storm in Florida in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, September 2002The 2002 hurricane season

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: 5320053, 5320055, 5320058, 5320052, 5320054, 5320056, 5320057.