Hurricane in Florida, August 25 to 26, 2005

Name: Hurricane in Florida, August 25 to 26, 2005
Start: 2005-08-25T12:00
End: 2005-08-26T08:00
Location: Florida

August 25 to 26, 2005 · NWS MFL · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

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: 6
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100 million
Crop damage: $423 million
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 happened

The episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.

A tropical wave that moved across the Atlantic from near the west coast of Africa eventually spawned the tropical cyclone that became hurricane Katrina. The tropical wave became a tropical depression near the central Bahamas late on August 22. The depression moved slowly northwest and became tropical storm Katrina on August 24 near the northwest Bahama Islands then turned west and intensified to a hurricane on August 25, a few hours before making landfall on the southeast Florida Coast.The center of the ragged 25-mile-wide eye of Katrina made landfall around 6:30 PM EDT, Thursday, August 25 near the Broward/Miami-Dade County border then moved toward the southwest across central and southwest Miami-Dade County, passing directly over the National Weather Service (NWS) Office in Sweetwater. Katrina briefly weakened to a tropical storm before exiting the Florida peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico early on August 26 just north of Cape Sable in mainland Monroe County then quickly regained hurricane strength in the southeast Gulf of Mexico. The distribution of winds and rain near the center of Katrina while passing across the south Florida peninsula were asymmetrical with the strongest winds and heaviest rain located to the south and east of the center.Measurements from reconnaissance aircraft and Miami Doppler Weather Radar estimated maximum sustained winds in Katrina to be 80 mph. The maximum reported sustained surface wind over the south Florida peninsula was 72 mph measured atop a building at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) on Virginia Key. This wind value was determined by adjusting the actual wind speed to the standard anemometer height of 10 meters. This same site recorded an unadjusted peak wind speed of 94 mph. The anemometer atop the Miami Weather Forecast Office in Sweetwater measured a sustained wind of 69 mph. Maximum sustained winds measured at the NWS Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) sites included 60 mph at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 50 mph at Tamiami Airport in West Kendall and 48 mph at Miami International Airport.The maximum ASOS-measured peak wind gusts included 82 mph at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 78 mph at Miami International Airport and 76 mph at Tamiami Airport in West Kendall. Other unofficial peak wind gust measurements included 97 mph at Homestead General Airport, 92 mph at Port Everglades, 87 mph at the Miami Weather Forecast Office in Sweetwater, 77 mph at Marco Island, 76 mph at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) on Virginia Key, and 64 mph at Boca Raton Airport. The minimum pressure measured over the south Florida peninsula was 983.1 millibars at the NWS site in Sweetwater.Rainfall amounts were excessive across portions of south Miami-Dade County causing flooding of structures, vehicles, crop lands and nurseries. A maximum storm total amount of 16.33 inches, of which 15.10 inches fell in a 24-hour period, was measured by a cooperative observed in Perrine. Other heavy storm total amounts in south Miami-Dade County included 14.04 inches at Homestead Air Reserve Base, 12.25 inches near Florida City and 11.13 inches near Cutler Ridge. Most of the remainder of metropolitan Miami-Dade County and all of metropolitan Broward and Palm Beach counties generally received rain amounts of two to four inches. Rainfall over interior south Florida ranged from one to three inches with mostly less than one inch over coastal Collier County.Mostly minor beach erosion and isolated incidence of coastal flooding were observed. The maximum storm tide was estimated at three to five feet along the southwest Florida coast in mainland Monroe County. This caused water damage to several homes, trailers and vehicles at Flamingo in Everglades National Park early on August 26. Other maximum storm tide values included 3.0 feet at Naples Pier along the southwest coast at 2.1 feet at Virginia Key on the southeast coast.A total of six persons are known to have died directly as a result of the winds and water. Three of the deaths, all in Broward County, were associated with trees or tree limbs that were blown down, striking people. The other three deaths, all in Miami-Dade County, were associated with drownings, two on boats and one under unknown circumstances. In addition at least another six people died from indirect hurricane effects including three from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by generators, one in a vehicle accident, one during debris cleanup and one associated with a lack of electricity. Several people were injured, including five or six related to carbon monoxide poisoning.Total damage in south Florida was estimated at around $100 million. Between 100 and 200 houses suffered significant damage, mainly in south Miami-Dade due to flooding. Wind damage was mainly to vegetation, signs, and watercraft. Winds and flooding combined caused an estimated $423 million in losses to agriculture and nurseries.

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 Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 25, 9:34 AM EST, 2 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 25, 9:34 AM EST, 2 hours 26 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1034 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2005

.UPDATE...TROPICAL STORM KATRINA WAS LOCATED OVER THE OPEN WATERS
OF SOUTHERN PALM BEACH COUNTY LATE THIS MORNING MOVING WEST AROUND
5 MPH. THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST BY THE NHC TO CONTINUE TO MOVE TO
THE WEST AND SHOULD MOVE ONSHORE SOMETIME LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY
FRIDAY ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF SOUTH FLORIDA. THE HURRICANE
WARNING AND THE INLAND HURRICANE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE EAST
COAST AREAS...AND INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR REST
OF THE INLAND AREAS. FOR THE WEST COAST METRO AREAS...A TROPICAL
STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT AND A INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN
EFFECT. LAKE OKEECHOBEE ALSO HAS A HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT.

THE CLOUD COVER FROM THIS STORM HAS BEEN SLOWLY PUSHING WEST INTO
THE INTERIOR AREAS OF SOUTH FLORIDA THIS MORNING AND SHOULD
CONTINUE TO PUSH INTO THE WEST COAST AREAS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON
HOURS. SO PLAN ON MAKING THE SKIES BECOMING CLOUDY BY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON.

THE OUTER FEEDER BANDS WERE ALSO STARTING TO AFFECT THE EAST COAST
METRO AREAS...AND WILL CONTINUE TO BECOME MORE FREQUENT ALONG THE
EAST COAST AND SPREAD INTO THE INTERIOR AREAS OF THE EAST COAST.
SO THE ONLY CHANGE TO THE POPS INCREASE THEM OVER THE INTERIOR
AREAS OF SOUTH FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON.

THE NHC WILL INCREASE THE MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS TO 60 MPH AT 11 AM
EDT FOR TROPICAL STORM KATRINA. SO PLAN ON INCREASING THE WINDS
UP TO 55 TO 60 MPH FOR THE ATLANTIC WATERS FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTING WIND SPEEDS OF 15 T0 20
KNOTS THIS MORNING AND WITH KATRINA MAX WIND SPEED GOING UP A
LITTLE BIT AT 11 AM EDT...PLAN ON INCREASING THE LAKE WIND SPEED
UP TO 20 TO 25 KNOTS FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

&&
BAXTER

.PREV DISCUSSION...
DISCUSSION...LATEST SURFACE...UPPER AIR...AND RADAR DATA ANALYSIS
CONTINUES TO SHOW KATRINA MOVING WEST AROUND 7 KNOTS. AT ITS
PRESENT MOVEMENT KATRINA COULD MAKE LAND FALL ON THE SE COAST THIS
EVENING. HOWEVER...ALL GUIDANCE CONTINUE TO SLOW IT DOWN LATER
TODAY AND THEREFORE THE CURRENT NHC FCST CONTINUES TO PREDICT
LANDFALL LATE TONIGHT EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. ALTHOUGH THE SYSTEM IS
FORECAST TO BECOME A HURRICANE BEFORE LANDFALL...THE UNCERTAINTY
IN THAT IS QUITE SUBSTANTIAL. THE MAIN CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE AN
EXTENDED PERIOD OF OFF AND ON RAINFALL IN RAIN BANDS. HISTORICALLY...
TROPICAL SYSTEMS MOVING LIKE THIS...LIKE IRENE...HAVE PRODUCED 10 TO
15 INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. SO THEREFORE...THE
OFFICIAL FORECAST CONTINUES TO HIGHLIGHT TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF
6 TO 12 INCHES WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS POTENTIALLY AS HIGH AS 15 TO
20 IF STORM MOVEMENT BEHAVES AS FORECAST. ANY SLOW DOWN COULD INCREASE
THE THREAT OF THE HEAVY RAINS. THE BOTTOMLINE...AS OF NOW RAIN
CONTINUES TO BE THE MAIN CONCERN. NEEDLESS TO SAY...FAA WILL GO
INTO EFFECT THIS MORNING AND GO ON THROUGH SATURDAY.

AS AN ASIDE NOTE...A PRECIPITABLE WATER CLIMATOLOGY STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE WFO
SHOWS THAT PREEXISTING ENVINRONMENTS WHERE PWAT EXCEEDS 2.3 INCHES
RESULT IN THE PROBABILITY OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AMOUNTS INCREASING
NEARLY EXPONENTIALLY. THE 06Z MIAMI SNDG CAME UP WITH PWAT OF 2.45 INCHES.
THE THREAT IS HIGHEST ONCE THE STORM HAS MADE LANDFALL ON THE EASTERN SIDE.

AFTER COORDINATION WITH TPC WE WILL BE POSTING A TROPICAL STORM
WATCH ON THE SW COAST WITH THE 5 AM ADVISORY. THIS WILL MATCH WELL
WITH THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WATCH THAT HAD BEEN POSTED LATE
LAST EVENING FOR COLLIER AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES. WILL HOLD
OFF IN UPGRADING THAT WATCH TO A WARNING UNTIL LATER THIS
MORNING. ALSO...ALTHOUGH LAKE OKEECHOBEE CONTINUES TO BE IN A
HURRICANE WARNING...I WILL STICK FOR NOW TO THE INLAND TROPICAL
STORM WARNING WITH AN INLAND HURRICANE WATCH IN THE SURROUNDING
COUNTIES. SYSTEM HAS BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING ITS ACT
TOGETHER. BESIDES...LAST YEAR WITH BETTER ORGANIZED FRANCES AND
JEANNE THE LAKE SAW HURRICANE CONDITIONS BUT NOT THE SURROUNDING
LAND AREAS TO THE SOUTH. SO WILL STICK TO THE CURRENT SITUATION AND REVISIT LATER
THIS MORNING.

EXTENDED FORECAST...SOUTH FLORIDA WILL BE FEELING THE EFFECT OF
KATRINA ON THROUGH THE WEEKEND BEFORE GRADUALLY TRANSTIONING BACK TO
A CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMER TIME REGIME...SLOWLY...THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK
WITH THINGS BACK TO NORMAL BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8 PM SATURDAY FOR FLZ063-FLZ066-FLZ067-FLZ068-
     FLZ069-FLZ070-FLZ071-FLZ072-FLZ073-FLZ074-FLZ075.

     HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR FLZ068-FLZ072-FLZ074.

     INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR FLZ068- FLZ072-FLZ074.

     INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR FLZ063- FLZ066-
     FLZ067- FLZ069- FLZ070-FLZ071-FLZ073-FLZ075.

     TROPICAL STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR FLZ069-FLZ070-FLZ075.

AM...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR AMZ610-AMZ630-AMZ650-
     AMZ651- AMZ670- AMZ671.

GM...TROPICAL STORM WATCH IN EFFECT MONDAY FOR GMZ656-GMZ657-GMZ676.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 25, 10:00 AM EST, 2 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1100 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2005

FLZ063-066>075-260930-
GLADES-HENDRY-PALM BEACH WESTERN-PALM BEACH EASTERN-
WESTERN COLLIER-EASTERN COLLIER-WESTERN BROWARD-
BROWARD METROPOLITAN-WESTERN DADE-DADE METROPOLITAN-
MAINLAND MONROE-
1100 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

...TROPICAL STORM KATRINA MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST...

FLOODING: VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ACCOMPANY RAINBANDS IN ADVANCE
OF KATRINA THIS AFTERNOON. AS KATRINA MOVES INLAND TONIGHT, HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL BECOME A BIGGER PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE
SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORM. HEAVY RAINFALL OF 6 TO 8 INCHES CAN
BE EXPECTED BY LATE TONIGHT OVER SOUTHEAST FLORIDA. ADDITIONAL
HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE ON FRIDAY, ADDING TO THE RAINFALL TOTALS
AND FLOODING CONCERNS. THE HEAVY RAINFALL RISK WILL GRADUALLY
SPREAD ACROSS INTERIOR AREAS OF SOUTH FLORIDA OVERNIGHT.

WIND: WINDS WILL STEADILY INCREASE FROM EAST TO WEST ACROSS THE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND THROUGH THE NIGHT. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS
IN EFFECT FOR THE EAST COAST, WITH INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS
IN EFFECT ELSEWHERE.

RIP CURRENTS: DUE TO INCREASING WINDS AND SEAS FROM THE APPROACHING
TROPICAL STORM, THERE WILL BE A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY
ALONG THE EAST COAST BEACHES.

TORNADO: THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED BRIEF TORNADOES IN THE
OUTER RAIN BANDS OF TROPICAL STORM KATRINA, MAINLY OVERNIGHT NORTH
AND EAST OF THE CENTER.

WAVES: WAVEHEIGHTS WILL INCREASE TO 8 TO 10 FEET OVER THE ATLANTIC
WATERS BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN UP TO 15 TO 17 FEET OVER
THE COASTAL WATERS NORTH OF MIAMI BY LATE TONIGHT.

REFER TO THE LATEST HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT AND FLOOD WATCH
PRODUCTS FOR THE ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON KATRINA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

KATRINA WILL MOVE WEST ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA ON FRIDAY,
THEN INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO OVER THE WEEKEND. HEAVY RAINFALL
IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY, ALONG WITH A POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD
FLOODING. RAINFALL TOTALS WITH KATRINA OVERALL ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE
FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES. HOWEVER, LOCALIZED AMOUNTS COULD REACH 15 TO
20 INCHES. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF
SOUTH FLORIDA ON FRIDAY, SUBSIDING BY AFTERNOON ALONG THE EAST
COAST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.MIAMIWEATHER.INFO.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Palm Beach

When: August 25, 12:00 PM EST to August 26, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Coastal Palm Beach forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 26.648, -80.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Broward

When: August 25, 12:00 PM EST to August 26, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Coastal Broward forecast zone
Property damage: $36 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 26.152, -80.456 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Dade

When: August 25, 12:00 PM EST to August 26, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Coastal Dade forecast zone
Deaths: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $64 million
Crop damage: $423 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 25.609, -80.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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), Coastal Dade	2005-08-25	54	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Dade	2005-08-25	69	Female	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Dade	2005-08-25	25	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Dade	2005-08-25	45	Male	Boat	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Dade	2005-08-25	61	Male	Boat	Direct
Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Dade	2005-08-25	49	Male	In Water	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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, August 2005 The 2005 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: 5470155, 5470156, 5470157.