Flash Flooding in Florida, September 26, 2004

Name: Flash Flooding in Florida, September 26, 2004
Start: 2004-09-26T05:00
End: 2004-09-26T23:00
Location: Florida

September 26, 2004 · NWS MLB · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

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.

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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 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 26, 4:05 AM EST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 26, 4:05 AM EST, 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
505 AM EDT SUN SEP 26 2004

...CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE JEANNE MAKES LANDFALL ON THE MARTIN/ST.
LUCIE COUNTY COAST...

.UPDATE...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN UPDATED (AND EXTENDED THROUGH 5
PM) AS THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND WEST. SENT AN
UPDATE TO THE ZONES TO DROP TORNADO WATCH HEADLINES FOR INDIAN
RIVER...SAINT LUCIE...MARTIN AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES.

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
CURRENTLY...CENTER OF HURRICANE JEANNE MOVING INLAND ACROSS MARTIN
AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES WITH THE LARGE EYEWALL OF THE HURRICANE
BRINGING HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND DRIVING RAIN TO THE SRN HALF OF
THE FORECAST AREA. HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED REPORTS OF SEVERE
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO HOMES IN JENSEN BEACH. RECENT REPORTS OF GUSTS
TO 115 MPH IN THE NORTHERN EYEWALL OF JEANNE NEAR VERO BEACH.

TODAY...JEANNE FORECAST TO MAKE A NW TURN AND MOVE TOWARD POLK
COUNTY BY THIS MORNING AND TO AROUND CEDAR KEY BY LATE IN THE DAY.
HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG JEANNES PATH EARLY
THIS MORNING WITH WINDS DROPPING TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE THIS
AFTERNOON. HAVE MADE ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO GRIDDED FORECAST
BASED ON THE NEW 03Z NHC TRACK. WIND THREAT EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BY
THIS AFTERNOON HOWEVER VERY HEAVY RAIN ON THE EAST SIDE OF JEANNE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FLOODING PROBLEMS ACROSS THE AREA. WILL
CONTINUE FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...JEANNE FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHWEST ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS
OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND THROUGH TONIGHT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS
EARLY WILL DIMINISH THROUGH THE NIGHT. HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES ACROSS
NORTHERN SECTIONS IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO JEAN.

MON...TRAILING MOISTURE AXIS FROM JEANNE WILL PROVIDE THE NECESSARY
FUEL FOR SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.
GRADIENT WILL STILL BE TIGHT ENOUGH...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN
ZONES...TO PRODUCE BREEZY AND OCCASIONALLY WINDY CONDITIONS.

TUE-SAT...THE INTENSE RIDGE THAT STEERED JEANNE TOWARDS FLORIDA WILL
MOVE EAST OF THE TROPICAL CYCLONE AND OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. IT
WILL THEN BUILD ACROSS THE REGION...RESULTING IN LIGHT FLOW AND WEAK
SEA BREEZE DEVELOPMENT EACH AFTERNOON. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE
BUILDING ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN CONUS IN THE WAKE OF EXTRATROPICAL
JEANNE WILL PRODUCE INCREASING ONSHORE FLOW AND ISOLATED SHOWER
ACTIVITY.

&&

.MARINE...EXTREME MARINE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TODAY AND SMALL
CRAFT SHOULD STAY IN PORT. WINDS TONIGHT DROP TO TS FORCE BUT SEAS
WILL REMAIN ABOVE 10 FEET. BOATING CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE
DRAMATICALLY TOWARDS MIDWEEK WITH THE FLOW BECOMING WEAK AND ONSHORE.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DAB  83  76  86  72 / 100  90  60  20
MCO  84  74  88  72 / 100  80  60  20
MLB  84  76  86  72 / 100  70  50  20
VRB  85  76  86  70 / 100  70  50  20

&&

.MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
 HURRICANE WARNING FLAGLER BEACH TO JUPITER INLET.
 INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES.
 FLOOD WATCH ALL COUNTIES THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON.
 RIVER FLOOD WARNING MIDDLE SAINT JOHNS RIVER BASIN.
 TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 5 PM FOR
 VOLUSIA...BREVARD...LAKE...ORANGE...OSCEOLA AND SEMINOLE.

&&

SHORT-TERM...VOLKMER
LONG-TERM...HIRSCH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 26, 1:23 AM EST, 3 hours 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
223 AM EDT SUN SEP 26 2004

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

1217 AM     HURRICANE        SEBASTIAN               27.79N 80.48W
09/26/2004                   INDIAN RIVER       FL   MESONET

            SUSTAINED 77 MPH PEAK WIND 113 MPH

&&

MRT

Local storm report, Sep 26, 1:25 AM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
225 AM EDT SUN SEP 26 2004

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

1217 AM     HURRICANE        VERO BEACH              27.65N 80.39W
09/26/2004                   INDIAN RIVER       FL   MESONET

            SUSTAINED 79 MPH. PEAK WIND 122 MPH. REPORT FROM FLORIDA
            COASTAL MONITORING PROGRAM WIND TOWER.

&&

MRT

Local storm report, Sep 26, 1:26 AM EST, 3 hours 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
226 AM EDT SUN SEP 26 2004

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

1250 AM     HURRICANE        SEBASTIAN               27.79N 80.48W
09/26/2004                   INDIAN RIVER       FL   MESONET

            SUSTAINED 77 MPH. PEAK WIND 113 MPH. REPORT FROM
            FLORIDA COASTAL MONITORING PROGRAM WIND TOWER.

&&

MRT

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Brevard

When: September 26, 5:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Brevard County, South Portion
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 28.300, -80.701 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

As the center of Hurricane Jeanne move on shore to the south of Brevard County continuous heavy tropical rain fell across central and southern Brevard County. Rainfall amounts of 6 to 8 inches flooded streets and roads over Palm Bay and surrounding areas. A Palm Bay man drowned when he drove his truck into a flooded ditch on the side of a road.

Flash Flood, Osceola

When: September 26, 8:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Osceola County, Countywide
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 28.063, -81.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

As the center of Hurricane Jeanne move on shore to the south of, and then over Osceola County, continuous heavy tropical rain fell across central Osceola County. Rainfall amounts of 6 to 8 inches flooded streets and roads over communities along Highway 192 to near St. Cloud.

Flash Flood, Indian River

When: September 26, 8:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Indian River County, Countywide
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 27.696, -80.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

As the center of Hurricane Jeanne move on shore to the south over Martin County, continuous heavy tropical rain fell across much of Indian River County. Rainfall amounts of 6 to 8 inches flooded streets and roads over Vero Beach and inland roadways.

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
Flash Flood, Osceola	2004-09-26	66	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

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

Every storm in Florida in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, September 2004

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: 5424793, 5424351, 5424794.