Hurricane and Tropical Storm in Florida, September 15 to 16, 2020

Hurricane Sally made landfall in Gulf Shores, AL at 5am on Wednesday, September 16th as a strong Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Sally produced widespread wind, storm surge, and freshwater flooding across coastal AL and the western Florida Panhandle. Flood and wind damage also extended well inland into inland southwest Alabama and south central Alabama. Sally was an extremely slow moving hurricane, which prolonged and exacerbated the local impacts. The storm was moving at less than 5 mph at the time of landfall, resulting in a long duration of tropical storm and hurricane force winds, storm surge, and torrential rainfall.

Storm surge and resultant damage was widespread and significant from Baldwin County eastward to Okaloosa County. The highest surge occurred in the bays and sounds of Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle, with generally lower values and lesser impacts on the immediate Gulf facing shores. A peak inundation of 7 to 9 feet above ground level was officially surveyed across some locations in the back bays and sounds of southeast Baldwin County, as well as the northern end of Escambia and Blackwater Bays. A larger area was impacted by 3 to 6 feet of inundation, including along the immediate Gulf facing shores. It should be noted that the extremely heavy rainfall (more details to follow) likely exacerbated the total water levels, although it is difficult to determine the exact extent. Regardless, thousands of structures along coastal areas were flooded by the surge.

Wind damage was extensive across the region, especially in areas that experienced the eyewall of Sally over a several hour duration. Wind damage was most extensive from southeast Mobile County eastward across Baldwin County AL into Escambia County FL. These locations experienced prolonged hurricane conditions with wind gusts over 100 mph, especially close to the immediate coast. Many homes across the area suffered roof damage from the winds and an untold number of homes were damaged by fallen trees. The tree damage was most extensive in Baldwin County, but also significant in parts of Mobile and Escambia Counties which experienced hurricane conditions. The pecan farms of Baldwin County took a major hit with well over a thousand pecan trees downed throughout the county.

The very slow movement of Sally resulted in rainfall totals of 15 to 30 inches across Baldwin County into the western Florida Panhandle. 7 to 15 inches of rain fell across parts of inland southwest Alabama, along and east of Interstate 65, and south central Alabama. This torrential rain resulted in major river and flash flooding, especially in Baldwin County eastward into the Florida Panhandle. Thousands of water rescues were conducted during the storm due to rapidly rising water and many homes were flooded. Road closures were extensive, especially in Baldwin County east into the western Florida Panhandle and some roads were damaged or washed out. Several rivers reached moderate to major flood stage and some crested within the top 5 of their historical crests.

There were 3 direct fatalities as a result of Sally. One fatality occurred in the Wolf Bay area (Baldwin County AL.) Two men were riding the storm out on their boat and at some point during the storm attempted to swim to shore. One of the men made it to a pier and was rescued and hospitalised; the other man drowned. The second fatality occurred on Innerarity Point, FL (Escambia County FL) where a 45 year old woman drowned when the vehicle she was driving was overtaken by the incoming storm surge. The third fatality occurred in Perdido Key, FL (Escambia County FL) when a 27 year old man drowned trying to retrieve a boat that was swept away by the surge and high surf.

There were also 3 indirect fatalities. One was due to storm cleanup in the Foley, AL area with two others (one in both Baldwin County and Escambia County FL) due to carbon monoxide poisoning from improper generator use.

The total reported damage from Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) is near $550 million. Note that this does not include insured losses and damages. Also, not all county reports were available or finalized at the time of this publication. A breakdown of costs related to each individual hazard was unavailable. All damages are listed under either the Hurricane or Tropical Storm hazard, but it should be noted that a good portion of the damage was caused by storm surge or flooding even though it is not explicitly listed.

Timber loss was extensive. The Alabama Forestry Commission estimates that 2,440 forested acres were damaged with 79,175 tons of timber destroyed at a value of $1,564,160. Most of this occurred in Baldwin County.

A study by the University of Florida estimates that total agricultural losses in the western Florida Panhandle ranged from $55 to $100 million.

Here is a breakdown of county by county impacts:

Mobile County AL: The greatest impact of Sally in Mobile County was to Dauphin Island, which was impacted by the western eyewall of Sally for a long duration. Hurricane force winds with gusts over 100 mph were recorded on the island. Winds were out of the north, which resulted in the bay and sound side of the island being the most impacted. Several buildings experienced roof and siding damage, including to two buildings on the campus of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Another home on the island lost its roof entirely. A 3 to 4 foot storm surge on the north side of the island resulted in major damage to docks and piers, including at the Dauphin Island marina. Across mainland Mobile county, the southern and central portions of the county experienced a long duration of sustained tropical storm force winds with hurricane force wind gusts recorded all the way west at the Mobile Regional Airport. In fact, the 82 mph gust recorded at the airport was almost as high as the peak gust recorded in Hurricane Katrina of 83 mph. Numerous trees and power lines were downed across the county, especially in central and southern parts of the county. This resulted in widespread power outages. Mobile's Bienville Square suffered major damage to the numerous oaks in the area and there was minor damage reported at some businesses in downtown Mobile. Several homes in the county also experienced roof, siding, and fence damage. Downed trees also damaged some homes.

Baldwin County AL: The county experienced widespread damage as the eye of Sally moved across a large portion of the county after making landfall in Gulf Shores, AL. A large|storm surge resulted in widespread inundation and major flood damage to structures along the back bay waters with little to no structural damage to buildings along the Gulf facing beaches. There was a walkway at the Cotton Bayou Gulf access that was damaged. The greatest surge occurred east of Gulf Shores across Orange Beach to the Florida State line and all the way north into the northern portion of Perdido Bay, as well as Wolf Bay. Peak inundation was surveyed to be 7 to 9 feet above ground with a much larger area that experienced 3 to 6 feet of inundation. Surge values neared 10 feet above ground at the far western end of Cotton Bayou in Orange Beach. Numerous large boats were moved onto land by the surge. Almost all piers were destroyed and several marinas were heavily damaged. The Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores was also majorly damaged with a large section of the pier now missing. The 20 to 30 inches of rain that fell across the southern part of the county certainly compounded the storm surge flooding and also resulted in widespread flash flooding and river flooding. The Fish and Styx Rivers reached major flood stage and experienced their third and second highest crests respectively. The eyewall of Sally resulted in widespread and extensive damage to trees and power lines. Most of southern Baldwin county experienced sustained hurricane force winds of 75 to 85 mph with gusts over 100 mph. A sailboat anchored in Ingram Bayou measured a 1 minute sustained wind of 113 mph with a gust to 137 mph. These measurements were recorded at an elevated 58 feet. When reduced to the standard measuring height 33 feet, the sustained wind is estimated to have been 104 mph with a gust to 126 mph. The Center of Severe Weather Research recorded a 123 mph gust on the east side of the Perdido Pass bridge from an anemometer on their mobile doppler radar unit with sustained winds of 93 mph. Numerous structures were damaged by fallen trees and many structures in the county suffered significant roof and siding damage. In Ft. Morgan, a few older homes were destroyed and a boat storage facility at a marina suffered major damage. Almost all of the county lost power during the storm due to substantial damage to the power infrastructure. The pecan farming industry took a devastating hit as likely over a thousand pecan trees were destroyed across the county. There were three fatalities from the storm, one direct and two indirect. A person drowned in Orange Beach during the storm. Another fatality occurred in Foley during the post storm clean up and another individual died due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator.

Escambia County FL: A combination of strong wind and storm surge resulted in widespread damage to Escambia County. To date, 1,756 structures were damaged. 44 structures were destroyed and 629 suffered major damage. Hurricane force winds resulted in siding and roof damage to many structures, with downed trees also playing a large role in damage to some structures. Power outages were widespread. Pensacola NAS recorded sustained hurricane force winds with gusts of 92 mph. A large storm surge impacted the county, with the highest surge occurring in the Perdido Key area and along portions of Pensacola and Escambia Bays. Peak inundation of 7 to 9 feet above ground level was surveyed across the northern portions of Pensacola, Escambia, and Blackwater Bays. The tidal gauge at the Port of Pensacola measured an inundation of 5.6 feet, the third highest surge ever recorded (Ivan and the 1926 hurricane are #1 and #2.) Numerous structures had significant damage from storm surge inundation. Numerous large boats and barges were moved onto land by the surge. A portion of the Three Mile bridge across Pensacola Bay collapsed due to damage from the barges. The vast majority of the storm surge structural damage occurred along the back bays and sounds and not along the immediate Gulf facing beaches. However, significant damage occurred along the Gulf islands national seashore, particularly in the Johnson Beach and Ft. Pickens area. On Johnson Beach, the surge and wave action took out a large portion of the first line of dunes with damage even noted to some of the second line dunes. 4 to 5 ft of sand covered Johnson Beach road with damage to the road itself. Noaa aerial imagery indicates that 3 new cuts were created on the far east side of Johnson Beach. The surge along the Gulf side of Perdido Key was also significant (7-9 feet) as the water line encroached upon the entrance of some of the condos and damaged walkways and pools. The copious amounts of rain (15-30 inches) also compounded the storm surge issue as water that normally would drain into area bays, rivers, creeks, and streams had nowhere to go due to the incoming storm surge. Downtown Pensacola was one notable area hard hit by this fresh water flooding, but countless other locations, especially across central and southern Escambia county, were also hard hit by this flooding. There were 3 reported fatalities, two direct and one indirect. One person died while trying to retrieve a boat during the storm and another person died while kayaking during the storm. One person died after the storm due to carbon monoxide from a generator being run indoors.

Santa Rosa County, FL: A large storm surge had its greatest impact on the sound and bay|sides of Santa Rosa county. The largest surge occurred in the northern half of Escambia Bay as well as in Blackwater and East Bay. Peak surge inundation reached 7 to 9 feet above ground level. Numerous homes suffered significant inundation from the surge. The surge flooding was compounded by 20+ inches of rain that fell which also resulted in significant to major flash flooding and river flooding. Hurricane force wind gusts also resulted in roof and siding damage to many homes, extensive downed trees, and power lines. To date, around 1,400 residential structures have been identified as being impacted with 6 being destroyed and 139 suffering major damage. 19 commercial buildings have been documented as being impacted with major damage to 4 buildings.

Okaloosa County, FL: A long duration of tropical storm force winds impacted Okaloosa County as the center of Hurricane Sally tracked very slowly to the east and north of the county. Significant storm surge impacted coastal areas, especially in western parts of Okaloosa county closer to the Santa Rosa line. Many homes on the sound side of the Mary Esther area were inundated by the surge flooding. Portions of Highway 98 on Okaloosa Island were breached by the surge flooding, however the road was not damaged. A 2 ft seawall was breached in Ft. Walton Beach with 2 to 3 ft of water covered adjacent portions of Highway 98. Walkovers and beach side docks were displaced on the Gulf side. A few restaurants and homes suffered some flooding along Calhoun avenue, likely from a combination of the torrential rainfall and storm surge. The copious rainfall also resulted in flash flooding and major river flooding, which also flooded homes in the county.

Escambia County, AL:|Widespread trees were downed throughout Escambia county, AL. Some of the trees fell onto homes, but most of the damage was minor. However, 4 homes suffered major damage from the fallen trees. At the peak of the event, 85% of the county was without power. Torrential rainfall|of 10 to 20 inches led to flash flooding and river flooding, resulting in the 10 county roads becoming impassable during the storm. Some of the roads suffered wash outs. A couple of bridges experienced wash outs as well.

Covington County, AL:|Five homes suffered wind damage as tropical storm force winds impacted Covington county. Trees and power lines were downed which resulted in some power outages. Numerous roads were flooded and impassable. Several roads also suffered wash outs due to the extensive flooding.

|Crenshaw County, AL: Tropical storm force wind gusts downed some trees and power lines in|the county. Significant flooding also occurred, especially in the southern half of the county. Numerous roads were impassable and some experienced washouts.

Monroe County, AL: Tropical storm conditions downed numerous trees and power lines|across Monroe county.

Clarke County, AL: Tropical storm force winds downed trees across Clarke county. One tree|fell onto a home in Grove Hill, resulting in significant damage.

Conecuh County, AL: Tropical storm force winds downed trees and power lines in Conecuh County.

Butler County, AL: Tropical storm conditions downed trees and power lines across portions of Butler county. A few homes suffered minor damage from fallen trees. Scattered power outages were reported. A few roads were flooded from heavy rain.