Tropical Storm Fay blanketed most of the state of Florida with over 6 inches of rain. Only the Tampa Bay Area escaped Fay's deluge with rainfall generally less than one inch.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.
Tropical Storm Fay blanketed most of the state of Florida with over 6 inches of rain. Only the Tampa Bay Area escaped Fay's deluge with rainfall generally less than one inch.
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 18, 10:08 AM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL
1108 AM EDT MON AUG 18 2008
...HURRICANE WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FOR ANNA MARIA SOUTH TO BONITA
BEACH AND A HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR HARDEE AND
HIGHLANDS COUNTIES...WATCHES CONTINUE FROM ANNA MARIA NORTH TO
TARPON SPRINGS AND INLAND TO POLK COUNTY...
.DISCUSSION...A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR OUR CWA FROM
BONITA BEACH TO ANNA MARIA. A HURRICANE WIND WARNING HAS ALSO BEEN
ISSUED FOR HARDEE AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES. A HURRICANE WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ANNA MARIA TO TARPON SPRINGS AND THE
HURRICANE WIND WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR POLK COUNTY. WILL HAVE
A ZONE UPDATE OUT SHORTLY WITH NEW HEADLINES AND WIND
ADJUSTMENTS. NO OTHER CHANGES PLANNED.
&&
.AVIATION...MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INTO
THE REGION THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING HOURS...BUT CEILING AT OR
ABOVE 10KFT WILL MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS. THE EXCEPTION TO THIS
WILL BE OVER FORT MYERS AND REGIONAL SOUTHWEST TERMINALS WHERE SOME
MVFR CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES WILL BE POSSIBLE BY MID TO LATE MORNING AS
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BEGIN TO IMPACT THESE SITES. MVFR
WITH BRIEF IFR CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES WILL IMPACT ALL SITES DURING THE
AFTERNOON AS SHOWERS AND STORMS DEVELOP OVER THE REGION. ADDITIONAL
MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS WILL AFFECT THE TERMINAL SITES OVERNIGHT INTO
MONDAY AS THE OUTER RAIN BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL CYCLONE FAY
BEGIN TO MOVE INTO THE REGION. FOR THE LATEST ON FAY SEE THE LATEST
ADVISORIES BEING ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.
&&
.MARINE...WILL ISSUE COASTALS LATE TO INCLUDE THE NEW WATCH/WARNING
HEADLINES AND WIND ADJUSTMENTS. WILL ALSO STILL ADJUST WINDS A BIT
FOR THIS AFTERNOON PERIOD.
&&
.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...HURRICANE WARNING FOR CHARLOTTE-DE SOTO-LEE-MANATEE-SARASOTA.
HURRICANE WATCH FOR HILLSBOROUGH-PINELLAS.
HURRICANE WIND WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING FOR POLK.
HURRICANE WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 PM EDT TUESDAY FOR HARDEE-
HIGHLANDS.
GULF WATERS...HURRICANE WARNING FOR BONITA BEACH TO ENGLEWOOD OUT 20 NM-BONITA
BEACH TO ENGLEWOOD OUT 20 TO 60 NM-ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON
SPRINGS OUT 20 NM-ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS OUT 20 TO 60
NM.
HURRICANE WATCH FOR TAMPA BAY WATERS.
&&
SHORT TERM/MARINE...24
LONG TERM/AVIATION...57HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 504 AM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-182115- LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK- MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-CHARLOTTE-LEE- 504 AM EDT MON AUG 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT CONTINUES ACROSS THE AREA WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED DURING THE MORNING. THESE STORMS WILL INCREASE TO SCATTERED ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH AREAS... ALONG WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS. THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER THEN YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. ...TROPICAL IMPACT... TROPICAL STORM FAY...JUST SOUTH OF CUBA THIS MORNING...IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE ISLAND AND MOVE OUT OVER THE STRAITS BY TONIGHT...IMPACTING THE SOUTHERN AREAS WITH INCREASING WINDS ALONG WITH BUILDING SEAS ON THE COASTAL WATERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ...TROPICAL IMPACT... TROPICAL STORM FAY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ON A NORTHWARD TRACK TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY WITH SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE THREATS TO SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA. THESE INCLUDE DAMAGING WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL WITH POSSIBLE INLAND FLOODING...AND POTENTIAL STORM SURGES. SOME UNCERTAINTY EXISTS IN THE EXACT TRACK. ALL INTERESTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON THIS SYSTEM. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON FAY SEE THE LATEST ADVISORIES BEING ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER AND SELF ACTIVATE IF NEEDED. RKR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
The observer reported 12.74 inches of rain. Numerous reports of 6-11 inches of rain were reported over the eastern two-thirds of the county.
A Southwest Florida Water Management District gauge recorded 7.27 inches of rain.
A Southwest Florida Water Management District gauge recorded 7.10 inches of rain.
A Southwest Florida Water Management District gauge recorded 3.86 inches of rain. However, radar estimated precipitation showed 6 to 8 inches in the southeast part of the county.
The observer recorded 9.49 inches of rain.
A Southwest Florida Water Management District gauge recorded 8.62 inches of rain. However, radar estimated precipitation showed a small area of 10 to 14 inches near the intersection of Highway 60 and the Kissimmee River. Homes were flooded in this area. Radar showed 1 to 3 inches of rain in the far west part of the county.
The observer recorded 7.88 inches of rain.
A Southwest Florida Water Management District gauge recorded 5.03 inches of rain.
The observer recorded 8.53 inches of rain.
A Remote Automated Weather Station recorded 11.72 inches of rain.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 2008
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: 130200, 130201, 130202, 130203, 130204, 130206, 130207, 130208, 130209, 130211.