Storm Surge in Florida, September 25 to 26, 2004

Name: Storm Surge in Florida, September 25 to 26, 2004
Start: 2004-09-25T22:00
End: 2004-09-26T16:00
Location: Florida

September 25 to 26, 2004 · NWS MLB · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

The greatest storm tides occurred between Brevard and St. Lucie Counties, to the right of the landfalling 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $8.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
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 MLB wrote it up.

The greatest storm tides occurred between Brevard and St. Lucie Counties, to the right of the landfalling eye wall. Initial estimates of storm tides range from 6 feet in Volusia County to around 10 feet in St Lucie county, and about 8 feet in Martin County. Damage would have been greater except that Jeanne came ashore mainly during a low tide. At the next high tide strong wind and rain bands were still hitting Volusia County from the east. Hardest hit was the town of New Smyrna Beach where much of the sand east of the town's seawall was removed.

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 Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 25, 8:00 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 8:00 PM EST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
900 PM EDT SAT SEP 25 2004

...EYE OF MAJOR HURRICANE JEANNE A FEW HOURS FROM LANDFALL...

.DISCUSSION...
SATELLITE AND RADAR INDICATED THAT JEANNE CONTINUES MOVING TOWARDS
ABOUT 285 DEGREES AT 14 MPH.  THE EYE REMAINED VERY LARGE AND
DOPPLER RADAR IS NOW STARTING TO INDICATE VELOCITIES OVER 120 KNOTS
IN THE NORTHEAST QUADRANT OUT OVER THE COASTAL WATERS.  MAJOR
DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY TO SWEEP ONSHORE DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS...STARTING ALONG THE TREASURE COAST AND EVENTUALLY REACHING UP
TO SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTY.  THIS MEANS THAT FURTHER HISTORY WILL BE
MADE IN THIS ALREADY HISTORICAL YEAR FOR FLORIDA...AS INDIAN RIVER
AND PART OF BREVARD COUNTY WILL EXPERIENCE MAJOR HURRICANE
CONDITIONS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 100 YEARS.

NO CHANGES TO CURRENT FORECASTS.

&&

.MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
 HURRICANE WARNING FLAGLER BEACH TO JUPITER INLET.
 INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES.
 FLOOD WATCH ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA THROUGH SUNDAY.
 RIVER FLOOD WARNING MIDDLE SAINT JOHNS RIVER BASIN.
 TORNADO WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT ALL COUNTIES.

&&

LASCODY

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 25, 9:30 PM EST, 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1030 PM EDT SAT SEP 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1022 PM     HURRICANE        FORT PIERCE             27.44N 80.32W
09/25/2004                   ST. LUCIE          FL   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            WIND GUST TO 76 KNOTS OR 87 MPH.

&&

MRT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Storm Surge/Tide, Volusia

When: September 25, 10:00 PM EST to September 26, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Volusia forecast zone
Property damage: $8.0 million
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 29.063, -81.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Brevard

When: September 25, 10:00 PM EST to September 26, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Brevard forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Storm Surge/Tide, Indian River

When: September 25, 10:00 PM EST to September 26, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Indian River forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Storm Surge/Tide, St. Lucie

When: September 25, 10:00 PM EST to September 26, 4:00 PM EST
Where: St. Lucie forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Storm Surge/Tide, Martin

When: September 25, 10:00 PM EST to September 26, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Martin forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

What these are

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

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, September 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: 5424357, 5424358, 5424359, 5424360, 5424361.