Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Florida, September 28 to 30, 2022

St. Johns river flooding and wind damage from tropical storm force winds impacted Clay County. At 5:06 pm on Thursday 9/29, the public reported river flooding along the St. Johns River between Green Cove Springs and Racy Point. A video showcased the river flooding nearing residential property and was compared to river flooding at that location similar to Hurricane Matthew in 2016. On Friday 9/30, the Buckman Bridge tide gage on the St. Johns River peak at 3.04 ft MHHW datum. Major flooding begins above 3 ft MHHW at this location.

Major river flooding of the St Johns River and its tributaries occurred due to trapped tides, strong tropical storm force winds and storm surge. Minor river flooding began on Wednesday 9/28 and as strong ENE winds increased around Ian into Thursday, the river rose into moderate flood status Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. The peak storm surge inundation at Dunns Creek occurred Thursday night at 10:15 pm with total water inundation of 3.73 ft MHHW datum. This was a new record for this location and surpassed the old record of 3.67 ft previously on 10/7/2016 with Hurricane Matthew. Major flooding at this location begins at 3 ft MHHW.

The peak storm surge inundation at Buffalo Bluff also occurred Thursday evening at 11 pm with a peak surge of 3.36 ft agl MHHW datum. This was also a new record for that location and surpassed the old record stage of 3.2 ft MHHW previously set on 10/7/2016 with Hurricane Matthew. Major flooding for this location begins above 3 ft MHHW.

At 7 pm on Thursday 9/29, several homes flooded in the River Park West subdivision in Fruitland, near Lake George. Widespread, persistent river flooding continued through the following weekend (10/1 and 10/2) with flooding in the major to moderate categories and inundation of dozens of homes in Welaka and Satsuma.

There were 2 direct fatalities on Thu 9/29 when 2 victims in a vehicle lost control of their car on Cracker Swamp Road around 5:30 pm. The car overturned into a a water-filled ditch two victims where both drowned.

A direct storm fatality occurred when an elderly gentleman was attempting to repair a roof on Thu 9/29 on a ladder. A wind gust caused the ladder to fall with the man. The likely cause of death was trauma from the fall.

Strong tropical storm force winds and storm surge impacted Duval county. On Wednesday 9/28 at 1:43 pm, a mesonet station at Huguenot Park measured a sustained speed of 41 mph with a wind gust to 51 mph. By 5:13 pm, the same station measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph. At 7:15 pm, local broadcast media reported a large tree was blown down on a power line at the Jacksonville Beach Golf Course. At 7:41 pm, the Mayport AWOS station measured sustained NE winds of 41 mph with a gust to 55 mph. By 7:58 pm, the Huguenot Park mesonet site measured sustained winds of 44 mph with a gust to 56 mph. By 10:33 pm, the same station measured a wind gust of 62 mph from the NE. At 10:40 pm, a mesonet station about 1 mile ENE of Fort Caroline measured a wind gust of 64 mph from the NE.

On Thursday 9/29, the Huguenot Park mesonet site measured a wind gust of 65 mph from the NNE at 1:08 am. At 4:45 am, the mesonet station near Fort Caroline measured a wind gust of 65 mph from the NNE. At 5:22 am, the Mayport AWOS measured a wind gust of 58 mph from the NE. At 5:30 am, a mesonet station 1 mile NNE of Jacksonville Beach measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph from the N. At 5:35 am, local broadcast media relayed a report that at retail sign was blown down near the intersection of Baymeadows Road and Old Kings Road South near Mandarin. Around the time of the reported damage, the Naval Air Station Jacksonville AWOS station KNIP on the St. Johns River measured a wind gust of 52 mph at 5:47 am. At 7:10 am, the mesonet station 1 mile ENE of Fort Caroline measured sustained tropical storm force winds of 41 mph with a gust to 62 mph. At 7:50 am, a mesonet site 1 mile NNE of Jacksonville Beach measured a sustained wind of 50 mph with a gust to 53 mph. At 8:53 am, the mesonet site 1 mile ENE of Jacksonville Beach measured a sustained winds of 50 mph with a gust to 65 mph. At 8:28 am, the mesonet site a Huguenot Park measured sustained winds of 56 mph with a gust to 68 mph. At 8:30 am, a mesonet station 1 mile NNE of Jacksonville Beach had a wind gust to 56 mph. At 8:41 am, the Mayport AWOS had a sustained wind of 45 mph with a gust to 58 mph. At 9:20 am, the mesonet site about 1 mile NNE of Jacksonville Beach had a gust to 62 mph. At 9:55 am, the same station measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph. At 11:43 am, the Huguenot Park mesonet station measured a sustained wind of strong tropical storm force at 58 mph with a gust to 70 mph. At 12:13 pm, the same station measured a wind gust of 72 mph. At 12:40 pm, the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department Station 40 about 2 miles WNW of Mayport measured a wind gust of 54 mph. At 12:48 mph, the Craig Airport ASOS KCRG measured a wind of 60 mph. At 1:10 pm, a mesonet station 1 mile NNE of Jacksonville Beach measured a wind gust of 60 mph. At 1:46 pm, downed trees were blown down on Naval Air Station Jacksonville property due to strong tropical storm force winds. Some trees fell onto residential structures and two families were displaced. At 2:52 pm, the AWOS at Mayport measured wind gust of 62 mph. Widespread power outages occurred across the county. During the peak of the storm, the Jacksonville Electric Authority reported about 20k customers without power.

There was about 3 to 4 feet of storm surge inundation along the Duval County Atlantic coast with 2 to 3 feet of inundation along the St. Johns River Basin. The peak surge at Mayport was 2.49 ft MHHW datum around 12:24 pm on Thursday, 9/29. Moderate flooding begins at 2.3 ft MHHW and major flooding begins at 3.3 ft MHHW at this location. Storm surge inundation was reported along the Intracoastsal Waterway near Hammocks of Oak Landing neighborhood around 2:56 pm on Thursday 9/29. The water level was comparable to Hurricane Irma storm surge at the time, possibly a few inches higher. At 3:18 am on Friday 9/30, the St. Johns River gauge at the Main Street Bridge in downtown Jacksonville measured a peak storm surge inundation of 2.48 ft MHHW datum. Moderate flooding begins at 2 ft MHHW at this location. At 4 am, the Cedar River tide gauge peaked at 2.64 ft MHHW datum. Moderate flooding begins at 2 ft MHHW at this location. At 4 am, the Pottsburg Creek tide gauge at Beach Blvd (U.S. Highway 90) peaked at 2.50 ft MHHW datum. Moderate tidal flooding begins at 2.2 ft MHHW at this location. At 2:26 pm, the Main Street tide gauge measured it’s peak storm surge value with Ian of 2.71 ft MHHW. At 4:30 pm, tidal flooding flooded some businesses in San Marco along Lasalle Street and San Marco Blvd was closed due to the flooding. At 5 pm, there was minor tidal flooding in Riverside near Memorial Park. In Atlantic Beach, at least one beach walker at 6th street was lost.

A tree fell onto a home around 1800 on 9/28/2022. There were no fatalities or injuries, but the resident was displaced. This damage was due to strong wind gusts with the nor easter event ahead of Ian.

St. Johns county experienced strong tropical storm force winds with gusts near hurricane force, storm surge inundation and freshwater rainfall flooding as a result of Hurricane Ian. The county sheriff reported less than 40 rescues were made during the storm. Emergency resources responded to over 300 rescue calls related to flooding in downtown St. Augustine, Summer Haven, Hastings, Flagler Estates and Matanzas Inlet. |Tropical storm force winds started Wednesday night 9/28. At 7 pm, the St. Augustine C-man station SAUF1 reported NE winds 39 mph with gusts to 47 mph. At 10 pm, the C-man reported NNE winds sustained at 45 mph with a gust to 55 mph. At 10:20 pm, a mesonet station about 2 miles SSE of South Ponte Vedra Beach recorded a wind gust from the NE of 56 mph. At 10:55 pm, a mesonet site about 2 miles NW of St. Augustine called XLWS Lewis measured a wind gust from the NNE of 59 mph. |On Thursday 9/29 at 6 am, the SAUF1 C-man station measured a sustained wind of 46 mph with a gust to 56 mph. At 7 am, the C-man measured a sustained wind of 54 mph with a gust to 57 mph. At 9 am, the C-man measured a sustained wind of 49 mph with a gust to 57 mph. At 9:06 am, the AWOS at the St. Augustine Airport (KSGJ) measured a wind gust of 52 mph. At 9:50 am, a mesonet station in the city of St. Augustine measured sustained winds of 44 mph with a gust to 49 mph. At 9:55 am, a mesonet site XLWS Lewis about 2 miles NW of St. Augustine measured a wind gust to 61 mph. At 10 am, the C-man station measured sustained winds of 53 mph with a gust to 61 mph. At 2:15 pm, the Lewis mesonet site measured a wind gust to 63 mph. At 3 pm, the C-man station measured a sustained winds of 58 mph (strong tropical storm force) with a gust to 67 mph. |Storm surge and heavy rainfall flooding begin in downtown St. Augustine the morning of Thursday 9/29. At 9:48 am, the public reported flooding of Avenida Menendez and the Bridge of Lions was closed. At 11:02 am, emergency management reported flash flooding in St. Augustine with water entering homes. At 11:10 am, flooding of King Street was reported in St. Augustine. At 11:53 am, Fire Rescue in St. Augustine reported storm surge flooding was near or slightly exceeded Hurricane Matthew levels in 2016. At 12:02 pm, emergency management reported storm surge inundation about 1 mile south of Vilano Beach where the Intracoastal Waterway bridge approaches were cut-off by storm surge flooding. Major flooding was reported on A1A near north Vilano Beach. At 12:05 pm, county emergency management reported numerous road closures along the coastline were impassable due to storm surge inundation. At 12:44 pm, broadcast media reported from the Davis Shores area of St. Augustine on Anastasia Island and showed major storm surge flooding inundation with levels near that of Hurricane Matthew in 2016. This flooding infiltrated homes in the neighborhood. At 1:58 pm, a WeatherStem camera on the grounds of Marineland showed storm surge flood water into the Whitney Lab. At 2:45 pm, the Pellicer Creek tide gauge peaked at 4.29 ft MHHW datum. The level was just below the record values of 4.34 ft MHHW set during Hurricane Matthew. Major flooding begins at this location above 3.3 ft MHHW. At 7:30 pm, the St. Johns River tide gauge at Racy Point peaked at 3.66 ft MHHW datum. Major flooding begins at 3 feet MHHW for this location. An NWS employee reported 3-4 ft of storm surge inundation along the Matanzas River just south of St. Augustine. |At 5 am Friday 9/30, the tide gauge along Deep Creek reached a stage of 5.18 ft MHHW datum due to the combination of storm surge and rainfall. Major flooding begins above 4.2 ft MHHW. At 5:15 am, the St. Johns River tide gauge at the Shands Bridge peaked at 3.27 ft MHHW datum. Major flooding begins above 3 ft MHHW. At 7:42 am, the emergency manager relayed that aerial photography damage assessments indicated that the El Penon inlet near Summer Haven re-opened. This was likely due to overwash and undetermined at this time if it was a true breach. |Flooding rainfall impacted much of St. Johns county. At 11:13 pm on 9/29, the public reported 9.51 inches of storm total rainfall in Elkton.

The county experienced strong tropical storm force winds with gusts to hurricane force, flooding rainfall and storm surge inundation from Hurricane Ian.

Tropical storm force wind gusts were recorded on Wednesday evening 9/28 at 9:31 pm when then mesonet station at Marineland measured a wind gust to 55 mph. At 11:40 pm on 9/28, the same station measured a wind gust of 58 mph. At 12:50 am on Thursday 9/29, the station measured a wind gust of 64 mph and then at 4:30 am the station measured a gust to 68 mph. At 5:35 am on 9/29, a mesonet station about 1 mile ESE of Flagler Beach measured a wind gust to 59 mph. At 6:40 am, the Marineland mesonet measured a sustained wind of 66 mph with a wind gust to 71 mph. At 7:40 am on 9/29, a mesonet station 2 miles east of Palm Coast measured a wind gust of 57 mph. At 8:15 am, a mesonet station 1 miles ESE of Flagler Beach measured a wind gust of 64 mph. Later that afternoon, the Marineland mesonet station reported a wind gust of 68 mph. The highest wind gust in the county was near 80 mph measured at the Marineland WeatherStem station. Wind gusts to 80 mph started around 6:07 am on Thursday 9/29 at this location and continued through about 6:18 am, then another rainband around 7:40 to 7:49 am produced another round of wind gusts to 80 mph when the peak sustained wind at this location of 71 mph occurred at 8:05 am.

The tide gage at Pellicer Creek rose into moderate flood stage (above 1.8 ft MHHW datum) during high tide early Thursday morning. The peak storm surge inundation at this station was 4.29 ft MHHW which occurred at 2:45 pm on 9/29. Major flooding begins at this location at 3.3 ft MHHW. The stage measured with Ian was just below the record for this station which was 4.34 ft MHHW set in 2017 by Hurricane Irma. By 4:30 pm, the emergency manager reported storm surge inundation at Marineland where surge flooding Whitney Lab buildings. The Flagler Beach pier was severely damaged by storm surge.

The river gage at Haw Creek above Russell Landing rose into major flood stage (above 6 ft NAVD88 datum) around 10:55 am on Thursday 9/29. Most of this rise was due to excessive rainfall. On Friday morning 9/30 around 10:15 am, the gage rose above 8.0 ft NAVD88 datum which is above record for this location. The record of 8.0 ft was previously set in 2017 with Hurricane Irma. The Haw Creek gage continued to rise to a new record level of 8.67 ft through Sunday 10/2 as drainage from record rainfall across central FL drained northward.

On Friday 9/30 at 10:50 am, and NWS employee reported extensive coastal flooding occurred on South Flagler Avenue and South 23rd Street in Flagler Beach. The roadway was impassable. This flooding was total water flooding from storm surge, high tides and heavy rainfall. At 11:45 am, emergency management reported about 2 feet of flood water from Dead Lake into the Bull Creek Fish Camp. At 5:43 pm, the Flagler Beach Fire Rescue reported one rescue about 1 mile SSE of Flagler Beach where a home was flooding along South Flagler Avenue due to tidal flooding in the wake of Ian. There was significant tidal flooding near South 23rd Street in Flagler Beach.

On 10/1, the emergency manager reported tidal flooding at 1730 along South Flagler Ave at South 23rd Street, but a bit lower than previous tide. Water flooded the Bull Creek Restaurant at the end of CR 2006 at St. Johns Park. There was about 2 feet of water in the building that flooded from Dead Lake / Haw Creek.

Rainfall flooding caused extensive damage. At 8:03 am on 9/29, an amateur radio operator reported flooding on SR-100 west of the State Road 100 overpass. There was about 6-12 inches of water covering the road. At 8:05 am, the emergency manager reported street flooding along Burroughs Drive and Buffalo Grove Place near Belle Terre Parkway. Streets were impassable in the area due to flood water. By 12:13 pm, a public reported indicated widespread flash flooding about 3 miles north of Palm Coast.

Heavy rainfall and surge combined to produce widespread total water flooding across the county at the following locations: State Road 100 Bridge eastbound was closed until further notice; flooding of Marineland at the county border due to a dune breach; Moody Boat Launch in Flagler Beach; Surfside Estates in Beverly Beach; MalaCompra Canal; Bings Landing; Sea Trail near Sea Breeze in Palm Coast; and State Road 100 from the Flagler Government Center to the Post Office in Bunnell. | |Significant dune erosion occurred at the following locations: Jungle Hut Road beach access; 16th Road Old Salt Park; MalaCompra Road beach access; State Road A1A at 21st Street South; State Road A1A at 26th Street South; the beach access ramp at State Road 100 and State Road A1A; dune over-wash at Washington Oaks State Gardens; and dune over-wash on State Road A1A from South 16th to South 10th in Flagler Beach. | |This will come with coastal, Intracoastal, Crescent Lake and Dead Lake area flooding for a few more tide cycles that may impact homes.

Rainfall totals between 9/28 and 9/30 ranged from a maximum of 15.0 inches at the City of Bunnell Waste Water Plant to 6.0 inches at the Palm Coast Library. Most measured rainfall ranged between 8 and 11 inches.

Wind gusts to tropical storm force were reported in Alachua county. At 5:44 am on Thursday September 29, the GNV ASOS at the Gainesville Regional Airport measured a wind gust to 52 mph. At 9:53 am, the GNV ASOS measured a wind gust of 54 mph. At 11:09 am on 9/29, the GNV ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.

Flood water covered State Road 100 near the overpass. Water depth was 6-12 inches.

Street flooding was reported across Burroughs Drive and Buffalo Grove Place near Belle Terre Parkway. Some streets were impassable.

At 9:48 am on 9/29, the public reported flooding on Avenida Menendez Blvd and the closure of the Bridge of Lions. due to storm surge and fresh-water rainfall flooding in St. Augustine. At 11:02 am on 9/29, emergency management reported flash flood water was entering homes about 2 miles NW of St. Augustine. At 11:10 am, flood water was over Kings Street in St. Augustine. At 11:13 pm, a public reported of storm total Ian rainfall in Elkton was 9.51 inches.

Flash flooding was reported in Palm Coast around midday on Sept. 29th due to heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ian. Storm surge was also rising along the coast and extended into inland estuaries which caused limited drainage where heavy rainfall occurred. Around 1:30 pm, the gage at Haw Creek Russell Landing rose to 6.56 ft above datum and much of this rise was due to heavy rainfall.

The eastern portion of the county experienced storm surge and tropical storm force winds, mainly in gusts. At 12:54 pm on Thursday 9/29, the NOS Tide Gage at Fernandina Beach reach a peak surge height of 3.35 ft MHHW datum. Moderate flooding begins at 2.5 ft MHHW and major flooding begins at 3.5 ft MHHW. Ian’s storm surge height at this location was just below Irma’s in 2017, which was 3.58 ft MHHW.

At 12:55 pm on Thursday 9/29, Emergency Management reported storm surge flooding near Hurricane Irma levels in Fernandina Beach. At 2 pm on Thursday 9/29, the Fernandina Beach Fire Chief reported minor damage to the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. The ramp was in the water and bobbing alongside floating docks. Fernandina Beach High School was also damaged. Piney Island along the Amelia River experienced storm surge inundation with numerous streets flooded. Tree and structure damage occurred across the county.

Peak winds included at wind gust of 49 mph at the Fernandina Beach Airport at 12:15 pm and 12:35 pm on 9/29. Peak sustained winds of 35 to 36 mph were recorded at both 11:55 am and then 12:15 pm, respectively. A private weather station in Yulee measured a peak wind gust of 51 mph at 11:50 am on 9/29. The peak sustained wind speed measured at this location was 36 mph at 2:14 pm.

Total water level at the Haw Creek Russell Landing gage was 6.56 ft above the datum level. Most of this rise was due to rainfall flooding.

Tidal flooding from Ian caused flooding at a home along S. Flagler Avenue near South 23rd Street in Flagler Beach. There was one rescue by Emergency Services from a home that was flooding.