3 storm surge/tide, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 Aug 12, 1:50 AM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
250 AM EDT THU AUG 12 2004
.SYNOPSIS...TS BONNIE IS NOT LOOKING TOO HEALTHY. ALL OF THE DEEP
CONVECTION APPEARS TO BE ON THE E SIDE OF THE SYSTEM. IT IS NOW
COMING UNDER INCREASING SHEAR AS IT IS PICKED UP BY THE HUGE LONG
WAVE TROUGH THAT IS DOMINATING ERN N AMERICA. THE LATEST TPC
ADVISORY INDICATES A WEAKENED SYSTEM. HURRICANE WARNINGS MAY BE
DOWNGRADED TO TS WARNINGS WITH THE NEXT FULL ADVISORY. HURRICANE
CHARLEY ON THE OTHER HAND CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN. THE BAD NEWS HERE
IS THAT CHARLEY HAS YET TO SHOW ANY SIGNS OF RECURVATURE. THE
FURTHER W IT GETS BEFORE IT DOES SO, THE BETTER THE CHANCE THAT IT
WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR FORECAST AREA.
&&
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SAT.
THE LATEST ADVISORY ON BONNIE BRINGS TS FORCE WINDS TO THE COAST
BETWEEN CAPE SAN BLAS AND PANAMA CITY BY 14Z WITH LANDFALL NEAR
TYNDALL AFB AROUND 17Z. THE MAIN IMPACT ON THE FORECAST AREA AS A
WHOLE CONTINUES TO BE THE FLOODING POTENTIAL. WE WILL BE EXTENDING
OUR FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO ACCOUNT FOR BONNIE. TS CHARLEY
WILL BE PASSING LARGELY TO OUR E PER THE LATEST ADVISORY. WE ARE
THEREFORE DEFERRING ANY DECISION ON EXTENDING THE WATCH FOR OUR ERN
ZONES INTO FRI, AT LEAST UNTIL THE NEXT TPC CONFERENCE CALL. ANY
DRYING BEHIND BONNIE WILL BE HALTED ACROSS OUR WRN ZONES AS TS
CHARLEY RAPIDLY APPROACHES THE W COAST OF FL FROM THE S. THEREFORE,
WE WILL HAVE AN APPRECIABLE E TO W POP GRADIENT OVER THE AREA ON FRI
AND FRI NIGHT. EVEN ON SAT...THE ETA SHOWS DEEP LAYER MOISTURE AND
LIFT OVER OUR SERN ZONES, SO A NW TO SE POP GRADIENT WAS USED IN THE
FORECAST GRIDS. WENT BELOW MOS TEMPS FOR TODAY DUE TO ABUNDANT RAINS.
.LONG TERM...SAT NIGHT THROUGH WED.
DID NOT REALLY LOOK INTO THESE PERIODS DUE TO FOCUS ON THE SHORT
TERM.
&&
.MARINE...HAD TO DELAY THE RAMP UP IN SEAS FOR THIS MORNING.
HOWEVER, THE BUOYS ARE FINALLY STARTING TO RESPOND WITH SEAS INCHING
UPWARD. THE ERN LEG COMES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CHARLEY ON FRI
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HOWEVER, SINCE THE FLOW WILL BE N TO NW, THE
HIGHER SEAS WILL BE OFFSHORE.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...NO CONCERNS.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TLH 82 71 84 70 / 90 50 50 40
PFN 82 73 85 71 / 90 40 40 30
DHN 81 69 83 66 / 90 40 30 30
ABY 83 71 84 69 / 90 50 40 40
VLD 84 72 84 71 / 90 60 60 50
CTY 86 74 85 72 / 80 60 70 70
&&
.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH UNTIL MIDNIGHT ALL ZONES.
GA...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH UNTIL MIDNIGHT ALL ZONES.
FL.. HURRICANE WARNING COASTAL COUNTIES FROM AL/FL BORDER E TO
SUWANNEE RIVER INCLUDING FLZ 08-12-14-15-18-27-28-34.
INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING FOR INLAND COUNTIES
INCLUDING FLZ07-09>11-13-16-17-19-26-29.
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH UNTIL MIDNIGHT ALL ZONES.
&&
WOOL/18HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 545 AM EDT THU AUG 12 2004 ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA GULF COAST FROM THE ALABAMA BORDER EAST TO THE MOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER... ...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND... ...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND... ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161-GMZ750- 755-770-775-131000- BAKER GA-BAY FL-BEN HILL GA-BERRIEN GA-BROOKS GA-CALHOUN GA- CALHOUN FL-CLAY GA-COASTAL WALTON FL-COFFEE AL-COLQUITT GA-COOK GA- DALE AL-DECATUR GA-DIXIE FL-DOUGHERTY GA-EARLY GA-FRANKLIN FL- GADSDEN FL-GENEVA AL-GRADY GA-GULF FL-HENRY AL-HOLMES FL-HOUSTON AL- INLAND WALTON FL-IRWIN GA-JACKSON FL-JEFFERSON FL-LAFAYETTE FL- LANIER GA-LEE GA-LEON FL-LIBERTY FL-LOWNDES GA-MADISON FL-MILLER GA- MITCHELL GA-QUITMAN GA-RANDOLPH GA-SEMINOLE GA-TAYLOR FL-TERRELL GA- THOMAS GA-TIFT GA-TURNER GA-WAKULLA FL-WASHINGTON FL-WORTH GA- 524 AM EDT THU AUG 12 2004 THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND EASTERN PANHANDLE...AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM BONNIE IS NOW EXPECTED TO REACH THE GULF COAST OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AROUND NOON TIME...WITH A LANDFALL EXPECTED NEAR OR JUST TO THE EAST OF PANAMA CITY BEACH. THE STORM WILL THEN MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE EASTERN PANHANDLE INTO SOUTHWEST GEORGIA DURING THE AFTERNOON. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL ENTER THE COASTAL WATERS EARLY THIS MORNING...AND THEN ARE EXPECTED TO REACH COASTAL SECTIONS OF THE EASTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE BY AROUND 10 AM CDT. THESE WINDS WILL SPREAD FURTHER INLAND THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS BONNIE ACCELERATES NORTHEAST. ALTHOUGH SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA OR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ARE CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. STORM SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS EXPECTED ALONG THE GULF COAST NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. A STORM SURGE OF 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS STILL POSSIBLE IN THE BAYS. SEAS OVER THE GULF COASTAL WATERS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 10 TO 12 FEET TODAY...ESPECIALLY TO THE WEST OF APALACHICOLA. THIS WILL RESULT IN VERY ROUGH SURF ALONG THE PANHANDLE AND WESTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND COAST...AND SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. TROPICAL STORM BONNIE WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...WHICH WILL BE AIDED BY CONVECTION FROM THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT. ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL EXACERBATE THE FLOODING POTENTIAL... AS SATURATED GROUND CONDITIONS EXIST IN MANY AREAS DUE TO RECENT HEAVY RAINS. WIDESPREAD 4 TO 6 INCH RAINFALL TOTALS WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED. THIS WOULD CAUSE WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE QUICKLY TONIGHT AS BONNIE MOVES AWAY FROM THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE LATEST ADVISORY ON HURRICANE CHARLEY HAS THE SYSTEM MAKING LANDFALL DOWN THE COAST NEAR SAINT PETE BEACH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THUS...OUR FORECAST AREA WOULD BE ON THE WEAK SIDE OF THE SYSTEM WITH MINIMAL IMPACT. STILL...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL GET CLOSE TO OUR EASTERN MOST GULF COASTAL WATERS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT JUST A SLIGHT WESTWARD DEVIATION IN THE FORECAST TRACK WOULD BRING THE SYSTEM INTO THE APALACHEE BAY. A HURRICANE IN THE APALACHEE BAY WOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE STORM SURGE AND WIND DAMAGE...ALONG WITH FLOODING RAINS. ALL INTERESTS IN THE FLORIDA BIG BEND ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF HURRICANE CHARLEY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED TODAY. .RIP CURRENTS... THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY ALONG THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND BEACHES DUE TO TROPICAL STORM BONNIE. A RIP CURRENT IS A STRONG NARROW CURRENT OF WATER FLOWING FROM THE BEACH THROUGH THE SURF ZONE. IT CAN RAPIDLY CARRY A SWIMMER INTO DEEPER WATER. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT...WADE SIDEWAYS PARALLEL TO THE BEACH UNTIL YOU ARE OUT OF ITS PULL. TO ESCAPE...RIDE THE CURRENT OUT BEYOND THE SURF ZONE WHERE THE RIP CURRENT DISSIPATES...THEN SWIM TO SHORE OUTSIDE THE NARROW CURRENT. ALWAYS HEED THE ADVICE OF THE BEACH PATROL AND LOCAL OFFICIALS. WATCH YOUR CHILDREN. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS NEAR PIERS...JETTIES...AND UNGUARDED BEACHES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE VIA OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TLH/ OR LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS. 18-WOOL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm surge heights from one to four feet caused minor beach erosion. Water covered several roads on St. George Island and along the Taylor County coast.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 2004The 2004 hurricane season
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: 5419970, 5419971, 5419972.