Florida, 2008Storm Surge in Florida, September 1, 2008
September 1, 2008 · NWS MOB · 3 events in 3 counties and zones
Gustav moved south and west of the northwest Florida coast and brought higher than normal tides to the area.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $550,000
- 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.
Gustav moved south and west of the northwest Florida coast and brought higher than normal tides to the area.
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 Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 1, 5:59 AM CST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 5:59 AM CST, 2 hours 1 minute before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
659 AM CDT MON SEP 1 2008
.UPDATE...HAVE UPDATED THE ZONES TO INCLUDE TORNADO WATCH # 877 IN
EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CDT. NO OTHER CHANGES AT THIS TIME. /10
&&
.......................PREVIOUS DISCUSSION..........................
.SHORT TERM TODAY AND TONIGHT...APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY IN ALL OF
THE PUBLIC PRODUCTS...BUT WANTED TO GET ALL THE LATEST ON GUSTAV
BEFORE TRANSMITTING. HURRICANE GUSTAV WILL BE MAKING LANDFALL BY
MIDDAY OVER THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF LOUISIANA COAST...NOT FAR WEST OF
GRAND ISLE. WELL EAST OF THE CENTER...WILL SEE RAINBANDS AND SQUALLY
WEATHER ROTATING IN OFF THE GULF. WE FORECAST THE HIGHEST
PRECIPITATION CHANCES OVER THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE AREA TODAY AND
TONIGHT. SOME OF THE RAIN BANDS WILL CONTAIN HEAVY RAINS WITH
OCCASIONAL TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS. EXCESSIVE RAINS COULD
FORM WHERE RAIN BAND DETACHMENT SETS UP AND PERSISTS FOR SEVERAL
HOURS OVER THE SAME AREAS. WILL HAVE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH OUT FOR
THOSE ZONES WHERE WE EXPECT THIS POTENTIAL. GRIDDED WEATHER WILL ALSO
CONTAIN THE POTENTIAL OF TORNADOES OVER THE COASTAL COUNTIES AND
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AS THESE AREAS LOOK TO HAVE THE HIGHEST
PROBABILITY OF IMPACTS FROM THESE AND CLOSEST TO THE FAVORED
EAST/NORTHEAST SIDE OF GUSTAVS CIRCULATION. TIDAL FLOODING
...DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS AND INSTANCES OF BEACH EROSION WILL ALSO
PRESENT HAZARDS TODAY. FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON WHAT IS
EXPECTED...REFER TO THE LOCAL STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE ALABAMA. /10
.LONG TERM TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...SOME FORECAST CHALLENGES IN
THE MEDIUM RANGE WEATHER PICTURE. ALTHOUGH GUSTAV WILL BE WEAKENING
OVER WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA OR EAST TEXAS TUESDAY...WOULD NOT BE
SURPRISED TO SEE A DETACHED RAINBAND THAT BECOMES QUASI-STATIONARY
OVER SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.
IF THIS SETS UP...EXCESSIVE RAINS WOULD BE LIKELY. HEADING INTO THE
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...STRENGTHENING MID LEVEL HEIGHTS OVER THE MID
ATLANTIC...COUPLED WITH HANNA NEAR THE BAHAMAS...FAVORS A WESTWARD
EXPANSION OF INCREASED SUBSIDENCE OVER THE SOUTHEAST AND A NET
DECREASE IN PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES BY THURSDAY. BY FRIDAY...
LEFTOVER MOISTURE BY GUSTAV LOOKS TO BE SHEARED EASTWARD WITH
CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COMING BACK UP FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY. WE ANTICIPATE NO PROBLEMS WITH HANNA. SAW NO REASON TO
DEVIATE FROM THE EXTENDED RANGE FORECASTS FOR TEMPERATURES WHICH ARE
NOT THAT FAR FROM SEASONAL NORMALS. /10
&&
.AVIATION...TAF SITES WILL SEE MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING
OCCASIONALLY LOWERING TO IFR IN SQUALLS. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS
WILL BE HAZARDOUS FOR ASCENT AND DESCENT.
&&
.MARINE...MAJOR HURRICANE GUSTAV WILL MAKE LANDFALL AROUND MIDDAY
TODAY ON THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST. MARINERS ARE URGED TO REMAIN
IN PORT AND CLOSELY MONITOR THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER FORECASTS
AND ADVISORIES CONCERNING THIS DANGEROUS HURRICANE. GUSTAV WEAKENS AS
IT CONTINUES MOVING INLAND ACROSS LOUISIANA AND INTO EASTERN TEXAS
TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THE STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS OVER THE MARINE
AREA WILL SUBSIDE BELOW 20 KNOTS ON TUESDAY WITH SEAS SUBSIDING BELOW
7 FEET BY TUESDAY EVENING...WITH WINDS AND SEAS CONTINUING TO SUBSIDE
THROUGH FRIDAY.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...NO HEADLINES. /10
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MOBILE 83 76 83 75 / 100 90 80 60
PENSACOLA 85 77 84 73 / 100 70 70 50
DESTIN 84 77 86 74 / 80 50 70 40
EVERGREEN 85 72 84 70 / 70 50 60 40
WAYNESBORO 85 73 84 71 / 90 80 80 70
CAMDEN 86 72 85 70 / 70 50 70 40
&&
.MOB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...TROPICAL STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: LOWER BALDWIN...LOWER MOBILE...UPPER BALDWIN...AND
UPPER MOBILE.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
LOWER BALDWIN...LOWER MOBILE...UPPER BALDWIN...UPPER
MOBILE...AND WASHINGTON.
TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 AM TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: AND WASHINGTON.
FL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
COASTAL ESCAMBIA...COASTAL OKALOOSA...COASTAL SANTA ROSA...
INLAND ESCAMBIA...INLAND OKALOOSA...AND INLAND SANTA ROSA.
TROPICAL STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: COASTAL ESCAMBIA...COASTAL OKALOOSA...COASTAL SANTA
ROSA...COASTAL WALTON...INLAND ESCAMBIA...INLAND OKALOOSA...
AND INLAND SANTA ROSA.
MS...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
GEORGE...GREENE...PERRY...STONE...AND WAYNE.
TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 AM TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: GEORGE...GREENE...PERRY...STONE...AND WAYNE.
GM...TROPICAL STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: COASTAL WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL OUT 20
NM...COASTAL WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS OUT
20 NM...MOBILE BAY...WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL
FROM 20 TO 60 NM...AND WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO
PASCAGOULA MS FROM 20 TO 60 NM.
&&Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Escambia
- When
- September 1, 8:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coastal Escambia forecast zone
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
As Gustav moved south and west of the area higher than normal tides caused beach erosion on Santa Rosa Sound. The storm tide height was estimated at 3-4 feet across the area with the surge height estimated at 2.5-3.5 feet. The high tide forced residents of a condo on Pensacola Beach to move to higher floors as water splashed over the dunes and covered part of the lower floor of the condo. The Pensacola tide gage measured a storm tide height of 4.1 feet with a surge height of 3.4 feet. Damage estimates from the surge were $250K.
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Santa Rosa
- When
- September 1, 8:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coastal Santa Rosa forecast zone
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
As Gustav moved south and west of the area higher than normal tides caused beach erosion on Santa Rosa Sound. The storm tide height was estimated at 3-4 feet across the area with the surge height estimated at 2-3 feet. The high tide washed away part of the dunes on Navarre Beach. Damage estimates from the surge were $100K.
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Okaloosa
- When
- September 1, 8:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coastal Okaloosa forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
As Gustav moved south and west of the area higher than normal tides caused beach erosion in Okaloosa County. High water also washed over Highway 98 between Fort Walton Beach and Destin. The road remained open but traffic was diminished to one lane due to the high water. The storm tide height was estimated at 3-4 feet across the area with the surge height estimated at 2-3 feet. Santa Rosa Sound tide gage measured a storm tide height of 3.1 feet with a surge of 2.4 feet. The East Pass tide gage measured a storm tide height of 3.5 feet with a surge of 2.8 feet. The surge also caused minor beach erosion. Damage estimates from the surge were $200K.
- 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.
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 1 to 3, 20086 deaths · 2 injured · $951 million · EF2 · 32 events
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in Louisiana, September 1 to 2, 20083 deaths · $151 million · EF1 · 42 events
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Louisiana, September 1 to 3, 20081 death · 7 injured · $14 million · 30 events
- Flash Flood and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, September 1 to 3, 20082 deaths · $73,000 · 20 events
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Mississippi, September 1 to 4, 2008$71 million · EF1 · 70 events
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in Louisiana, September 1 to 3, 2008$386 million · EF1 · 25 events
- Tornado and Tropical Storm in Arkansas, September 1 to 3, 2008$41 million · EF0 · 5 events
- Hurricane and Storm Surge in Mississippi, September 1 to 2, 2008$22 million · 11 events
- Storm Surge in Alabama, September 1, 2008$4.5 million · 3 events
- Storm Surge in Florida, September 1 to 2, 2008$1.0 million · 5 events
- Flash Flooding in Alabama, September 1, 2008$259,000 · 3 events
- Tornadoes in Florida, September 1, 2008$37,000 · EF0 · 7 events
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: 134496, 134497, 134498.