Florida, 2017

Flash Flooding and Flooding in Florida, October 1 to 2, 2017

October 1 to 2, 2017 · NWS MLB · 4 events in 1 county or zone

A surface boundary draped across the central Florida peninsula resulted in slow moving showers and thunderstorms that produced heavy rainfall across central and southern Brevard County. 6-10 inches of widespread rainfall was observed across the impacted areas, with isolated higher amounts of 10-11 inches of rain observed in Palm Bay, Malabar, Indialantic, and Floridana Beach.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

A surface boundary draped across the central Florida peninsula resulted in slow moving showers and thunderstorms that produced heavy rainfall across central and southern Brevard County. 6-10 inches of widespread rainfall was observed across the impacted areas, with isolated higher amounts of 10-11 inches of rain observed in Palm Bay, Malabar, Indialantic, and Floridana Beach. Areas of flooding and flash flooding resulted in impassible roads, stalled vehicles and water entered a few homes.

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 Oct 1, 2:45 PM EST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 1, 2:45 PM EST, 2 hours 40 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 1, 1:44 PM EST, 3 hours 41 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 1, 12:01 PM EST, 5 hours 24 minutes before
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Local storm report, Oct 1, 4:08 PM EST, 1 hour 17 minutes before
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The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 9 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:25 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Brevard

When
October 1, 5:25 PM EST to October 2, 1:30 AM EST
Where
Brevard County, 1.11 mi W of Mintons Corner to 2.02 mi ENE of Micco
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
28.099, -80.568

Widespread 8-10 inches of rain fell in southern Brevard County during a 2-4 hour period, affecting areas from West Melbourne to Indialantic, south to Malabar and Floridana Beach, including Palm Bay and Melbourne Beach. Water entered homes in the Powell Subdivision in Palm Bay along Main Street and US-1. Water also entered a home on Barracuda Avenue in Melbourne Beach. Lipscomb Road was closed from University Boulevard to Florida Avenue. A portion of Valkaria Road west of US-1 was washed out, following some erosion which occurred a few weeks earlier during Hurricane Irma. On Port Malabar Road flood waters reached up to the bumper of trucks.

Flood, Brevard

When
October 1, 7:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Brevard County, 2.21 mi N of June Park to 1.37 mi WSW of Bonaventure
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
28.082, -80.702

Widespread rainfall amounts of 4-7 inches fell from Melbourne and areas north, including Palm Shores, Patrick Air Force Base and Vierra. Heavy rainfall led to some sections of roads becoming impassable. A portion of Wickham Road near Parkway Drive was closed due to high water and Robin Hood Drive between Canterbury Lane and King Richard Road was closed due to a washout of the roadway. The area where the road washed out had been damaged previously following heavy rainfall associated with Hurricane Irma and another heavy rain event a few weeks earlier.

Flash Flood, Brevard

When
October 1, 8:15 PM EST to October 2, 1:30 AM EST
Where
Brevard County, 2.2 mi NNE of Cape Canaveral to 1.95 mi ENE of Frontenac
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
28.410, -80.589

Widespread 7-9 inches of rain fell across central Brevard County from Cocoa to Merritt Island to Cape Canaveral. Water entered several homes on Stratford Drive and Catalina Drive in Cocoa. Cidco Road in Cocoa and Sandgate Street in Cocoa were closed due to high flood waters. Flood waters entered homes on South Banana River Drive, East Cristafulli Road, Horseshoe Bend, Church Street and Newfound Harbor Road on Merritt Island. Flooding closed several roadways with multiple reports of people trapped in cars due to the rising floodwaters in the Buttonwood Manor neighborhood on Merritt Island. A vehicle was partially submerged in a parking lot in Cape Canaveral in the 8700 block of Astronaut Boulevard.

Flood, Brevard

When
October 1, 9:00 PM EST to October 2, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Brevard County, 1.72 mi WSW of Titusville Airpark to 1.14 mi SW of (Tix)space Cntr Exec
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
28.610, -80.856

Newspaper and public reports on social media indicated flooding on Carol Street in Titusville and Pleasant Avenue in Port Saint John. The ground in these areas received abundant rainfall from Hurricane Irma only weeks prior, and the 1-3 inches of widespread rain that fell on October 1st caused low-lying roads and other poor drainage areas to flood easily. The Windover Farms neighborhood saw the water levels in the already swollen area canals rise to cover low-lying streets.

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.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, October 2017

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 720039, 720061, 720056, 720058.