Hurricane in Florida, August 13, 2004

Name: Hurricane in Florida, August 13, 2004
Start: 2004-08-13T14:00
End: 2004-08-13T20:00
Location: Florida

August 13, 2004 · NWS TBW · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

2 billion in property damage (estimated to be about twice that of the insured damage), and $460 million in crop damage. The fast movement of Hurricane Charley limited rain fall totals to 4 to 6 inches along the track of the hurricane's eye wall.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 7
Injuries: 780
Property damage: $5.4 billion
Crop damage: $285 million
Events: 5

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.

The collective effects of Hurricane Charley in southwest and west central Florida during August 13th resulted in 8 direct fatalities, 16 indirect fatalities, 792 injuries, eight tornadoes, an eight foot storm surge in Lee County, an estimated $11.2 billion in property damage (estimated to be about twice that of the insured damage), and $460 million in crop damage. The fast movement of Hurricane Charley limited rain fall totals to 4 to 6 inches along the track of the hurricane's eye wall. River flooding of one to three feet above flood stage was found on area rivers south of Interstate 4. Hurricane Charley, a powerful but compact Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, roared into Southwest Florida during the late afternoon of August 13th, then raced northeast through the central Florida peninsula, reaching the Atlantic Coast as a Category 1 hurricane near Daytona Beach in only seven hours. In all, 1.42 million people evacuated their homes in southwest and west central Florida because the forecasted path was parallel to the coast and Charley could have made land fall anywhere from Tampa to Fort Myers. Hurricane Charley made landfall just north of Captiva with sustained winds estimated at 145 mph. The winds damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, knocked down tens of thousands of trees, and took out power to more than 2 million Floridians. The most intense damage occurred in a band approximately 10 miles wide centered on the path of the eyewall. Additional damage was seen in a band approximately 35 miles wide centered on the path of the eyewall. Rainfall was limited to 3 to 5 inches in a 20 mile radius surrounding the center, and the areal extent of storm surge was limited by the lack of buildup of high seas as the storm raced northward. The center of Charley crossed the barrier islands of Cayo Costa and Gasparilla Island at 345 PM EDT, then moved up Charlotte Harbor before making landfall at Mangrove Point, just southwest of Punta Gorda, at 435 PM EDT. By 530 PM EDT, the center was 5 miles west of Arcadia (Desoto County); at 630 PM EDT, 1 mile west of Wauchula (Hardee County), and at 730 PM EDT, 4 miles west of Lake Wales (Polk County). At approximately 830 PM EDT, Charley had exited West Central Florida, and in 45 minutes slammed into Orlando International Airport.Charlotte County took the brunt of the destruction caused by Hurricane Charley. The airport in Punta Gorda recorded sustained winds of 87 mph with gusts to 112 mph before the wind equipment blew apart. Most of the buildings and airplanes at the airport were destroyed. An unofficial wind gust of 173 mph was reported from a tower on the Charlotte Regional Medial Center in Punta Gorda. Saint Joseph's Hospital in Port Charlotte lost its roof. No storm surge was reported but Charlotte Harbor reported a four foot drop in the water level. There were four direct fatalities that were a result of blunt force trauma from flying debris. The estimated 700 injuries were a result of additional trauma caused to the 450 patients that were evacuated from damaged hospitals. An estimated 250 people were treated by three different remote medical teams dispatched throughout the county. In Lee County, Hurricane Charley caused an estimated eight foot storm surge that cut a new pass 300 yards wide across North Captiva Island. The storm surge was estimated at 4 to 6 feet at Fort Myers Beach, Horseshoe Key, and Port Boca Grand. Two direct and two indirect deaths were blamed on this hurricane. Sustained winds of 61 mph with gusts to 78 mph were recorded at the Fort Myers Regional Southwest airport. A personal weather station in Fort Myers recorded a wind gust of 95 mph. The winds damaged or destroyed 41% of the homes in Cape Coral, ripped the roof off of the post office in Fort Myers, and lead to 1.9 millions cubic yards of debris in Lee County. There was one direct death attributed to the storm when a tree fell on a person outside smoking. There were three indirect fatalities due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator, a candle burned down a mobile home, and one heart attack. In DeSoto County the storm shelter at the Civic Center in Arcadia lost one wall and the roof pealed back while 1,200 evacuees were inside. A wind gust of 104 mph was recorded in Arcadia where the storm downed a water tower. The majority of Arcadia's downtown was heavily damaged or destroyed and a mobile home park along State Road 72 was flattened. There was one direct fatality in a tool shed that was destroyed by the wind. In Sarasota there was one direct fatality a wind gust blew a car off the road and it hit a tree. Downed trees knocked out power and damaged homes in the eastern part of the county. In Manatee County an unofficial report of 100 mph was reported in the southeast tip of the county. Downed trees and power lines in the eastern part of the county forced officials to close the Myakka City Elementary School through August 20th. The damage total listed was estimated by doubling the insured losses. The doubling accounted for uninsured losses and damage to the public infrastructure.

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 Tampa Bay, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 1:08 PM EST, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 1:08 PM EST, 52 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
208 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004

QUICK UPDATE. WILL BE UPDATING ZONES AND COASTAL MARINE FORECASTS
SHORTLY TO INCLUDE THE NEWLY ISSUED TORNADO WATCH #750 WHICH WILL
COVER ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA UNTIL 2 AM EDT SATURDAY MORNING.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION BELOW.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

HURRICANE CHARLEY CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTH UP ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST
COAST THIS MORNING. LATEST COORD WITH TPC SHOWS LITTLE OVERALL CHANGE
IN THE OVERALL FORECAST TRACK WITH CHARLEY FORECASTED TO AFFECT THE
TAMPA BAY AREA BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY TONIGHT. ONGOING
ZONES LOOK GOOD FOR NOW...SO NO MORNING UPDATES PLANNED. WILL UPDATE
THE COASTAL MARINE FORECAST SHORTLY WITH ONLY MINOR TWEAKS EXPECTED.

&&

.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT
 60NM INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...PASCO...
 PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...MANATEE...SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE...
 DESOTO...AND LEE.
INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING FOR SUMTER...POLK...HARDEE AND
 HIGHLANDS COUNTIES.
TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 5 PM TODAY FOR PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...
 MANATEE...HARDEE...DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE AND LEE
 COUNTIES.
FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY FOR LEVY...CITRUS...SUMTER...
 HERNANDO...PASCO...PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE...
 SARASOTA...HARDEE...DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE
 COUNTIES

SHORT TERM...JCM
LONG TERM...RD

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 13, 5:34 AM EST, 8 hours 26 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
634 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-131520-
CHARLOTTE-CITRUS-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HERNANDO-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE-
LEVY-MANATEE-PASCO-PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA-SUMTER-
634 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA.

...HURRICANE CHARLEY HEADED FOR THE SUNCOAST TODAY...

...HURRICANE WARNING ARE IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH TO SUWANNEE
RIVER INCLUDING TAMPA BAY...

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

...SYNOPSIS...
HURRICANE CHARLEY WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTH TOWARD THE WEST
COAST OF FLORIDA AND IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL THIS EVENING.

THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM THIS STORM WILL BE WIND DAMAGE...AS WELL AS
STORM SURGE OVER AND SOUTH OF WHERE CHARLEY MAKES LANDFALL.  HEAVY
RAINS AND FLOODING REMAIN A SECONDARY HAZARD...BUT THE SPEED OF THE
STORM SHOULD LIMIT THE EXTENT AND AMOUNT OF HEAVY RAINS ON THE
SUNCOAST.

...EXPECTED WIND HAZARDS...
ON ITS CURRENT TRACK...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL AFFECT
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA BY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE UP THE COAST BY THIS
EVENING.  SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE
VERY NEAR WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL...ESPECIALLY IN THE
EASTERN SEMICIRCLE OF THE STORM.

WIDESPREAD MINOR TO MODERATE WIND DAMAGE IS A REAL POSSIBILITY WITH
THIS STORM...EVEN WELL INLAND.

...STORM SURGE...
THE MOVEMENT OF THE STORM WILL CAUSE THE POTENTIAL FOR A RAPID RISE
IN WATER LEVELS ALONG AND TO THE SOUTH OF WHERE THE CENTER CROSSES
LAND.  THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY WHERE EXACTLY THE CENTER WILL
CROSS...AS THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR THE STORM TO TRACK VERY CLOSE TO
THE COAST BEFORE SWINGING INLAND.

...HEAVY RAINS...
STORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED AND WITH THE GROUND ALREADY SATURATED ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE SUNCOAST...ANY ADDITIONAL WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINS
COULD EXACERBATE THE FLOOD POTENTIAL ON RAIN SWOLLEN RIVERS AND LOW
LYING OR POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY:

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY.  THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM
STRONGER CELLS WILL BE FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND BRIEF
HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY TODAY AS CHARLEY SWEEPS UP THE SUNCOAST.

&&

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE)
FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE INFORMATION...CHECK OUT
HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV

PRC

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 12:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
150 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-GMZ830-850-853-856-140600-
CHARLOTTE-CITRUS-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HERNANDO-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE-
LEVY-MANATEE-PASCO-PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA-SUMTER-
150 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 750 IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR
PASCO...SUMTER...LEVY...CITRUS...HILLSBOROUGH...SARASOTA...
HERNANDO...POLK...HIGHLANDS...HARDEE...DE SOTO...PINELLAS...LEE...
CHARLOTTE AND MANATEE COUNTIES.

MAJOR HURRICANE CHARLEY IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE
FLORIDA WEST COAST LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. MULTIPLE
BANDS OF CONVECTION AHEAD OF THE HURRICANE WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD
NORTH AND NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
THROUGH TONIGHT. INCREASING WIND SHEAR AND INSTABILITY WITHIN THESE
BANDS WILL INCREASE THE THREAT OF SMALL FAST MOVING TORNADOES WITHIN
THE WATCH AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
UPDATES.

&&

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE)

JCM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hurricane (typhoon). Local standard time, as filed.

Hurricane (Typhoon), Charlotte

When: August 13, 2:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Charlotte forecast zone
Deaths: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 700 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $3.0 billion
Crop damage: $150 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Hurricane (Typhoon), De Soto

When: August 13, 2:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: De Soto forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 50 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $382 million
Crop damage: $125 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 27.186, -81.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Lee

When: August 13, 2:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 30 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.0 billion
Crop damage: $10 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Hurricane (Typhoon), Manatee

When: August 13, 2:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Manatee forecast zone
Property damage: $8.2 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Hurricane (Typhoon), Sarasota

When: August 13, 2:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Sarasota forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $32 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Hurricane (Typhoon), Charlotte	2004-08-13	76	Male	Other	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Charlotte	2004-08-13	51	Male	Other	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Charlotte	2004-08-13	82	Male	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Charlotte	2004-08-13	82	Female	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), De Soto	2004-08-13	53	Male	Other	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Lee	2004-08-13	25	Male	Under Tree	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Sarasota	2004-08-13	56	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Hurricane (Typhoon): A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 64 knots (74 mph) or more, filed per forecast zone for its wind, and with separate events for its flooding, surge and tornadoes.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, August 2004 The 2004 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: 5417269, 5417270, 5417271, 5417272, 5417273.