Florida, 2024

Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Florida, September 12 to 15, 2024

September 12 to 15, 2024 · NWS TAE · 23 events in 6 counties and zones

Several showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the remnants of Hurricane Francine and a stalled frontal boundary. Several areas of rotation were detected, but no tornado touchdowns were reported.

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
23

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 TAE wrote it up.

Several showers and thunderstorms developed in association with the remnants of Hurricane Francine and a stalled frontal boundary. Several areas of rotation were detected, but no tornado touchdowns were reported. There was one report of a tree down in Walton county. In addition, heavy rainfall led to areas of flash flooding.

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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 12, 4:52 AM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 12, 4:52 AM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
652 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

...New AVIATION...

.NEAR TERM...
(Today and tonight)
Issued at 406 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

The outer bands of Francine are starting to impact our forecast area
this morning. These bands will slowly move east while the individual
storms within the bands move generally northward. There will be
rounds of showers and storms through this afternoon. Then, guidance
indicates there may be a lull during the evening hours, followed by
some redevelopment during the overnight hours. However, confidence
in exact timing and placement of these bands is still low. It will
also be breezy today with gusts of 25 to 35 mph possible at times as
winds mix down in any drier air that makes its way in around
Francine's circulation. Highs will be in the upper 70s to mid-80s.
Lows tonight will be in the 70s. Now to talk about the two main
threats for today and tonight: tornadoes and flooding rain.

First, the tornado threat. The stationary front that has been
sitting off our coast for days will be pushed inland as a warm front
while Francine advances farther inland. During the pre-dawn hours so
far, the instability has really been limited to the immediate coast
and offshore. As the warm front advances inland, instability will
increase across the forecast area. VAD wind profiles and
mesoanalysis indicates ample low-level shear on the order of 25-40
kt and large curved hodographs. Thus, the environment south of the
warm front is favorable for a few tornadoes. Thus, the Storm
Prediction Center has outlined much of southwest Georgia, the
Florida Panhandle and western Big Bend, and southeast Alabama in a
Slight Risk of severe weather (level 2 of 5) with a Marginal Risk
(level 1 of 5) eastward. The threat of tornadoes will generally
decrease this afternoon from south to north as Francine pulls away
and weakens.

Second, the flood threat. As these bands slowly make their way
through the area, they will be capable of training, producing
several inches of rain possibly in a short period of time. This will
be in an environment with PWATs around 2.2 to 2.6 inches, leading to
very efficient rainfall rates. Additionally, parts of southeast
Alabama and southwest Georgia saw about 3 to 6 inches of rain
yesterday, leading to wet antecedent conditions. Thus, have expanded
the Flood Watch to include much of southwest Georgia, southeast
Alabama, and the western Florida Big Bend. Rainfall totals of 2 to 4
inches with localized totals up to 8 inches are possible.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Friday through Saturday night)
Issued at 406 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

Francine's remnants will influence the short term forecast period
as it leads to a closed low sitting over the western TN Valley
region. At the surface, a frontal boundary lingers over the
southeast which will lead to renewed chances for showers and
thunderstorms each day. Given the likely cloudy nature, high
temperatures should be a couple of degrees below their seasonal
normal.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Sunday through Wednesday)
Issued at 406 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

Ensemble and cluster analysis show either a closed low or broad
upper level troughing sitting over much of the southeast east
through the period. A frontal boundary is expected to meander
around southern AL and southern GA, which will keep the chance for
showers and thunderstorms in the forecast. High temperatures look
to be a few degrees cooler than their seasonal average Sunday and
Monday, before temperatures return to near normal. Chances for
precipitation may decrease Tuesday into Wednesday if the front is
able to wash out.

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 647 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

Bands of SHRA/TSRA are moving into the area now from southwest to
northeast. Generally, these bands will progress from west to east
through the day, producing heavy rain and gusty winds as they
move through the terminals. IFR and MVFR cigs are likely to
continue for much of the day. There may be a lull in the showers
and storms this evening before SHRA redevelops again overnight.
Gusty east to southeast winds of 20 to 30 kt remain possible
through the day, diminishing after 00z.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 406 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

The stationary front over the nearshore waters will promote
strong easterly to southeasterly breezes early this morning. At
some point, this stationary front will lift northwards as a warm
front, leading to winds taking on a more southerly direction.
Both peripheral bands from Francine and the warm front will lead
to showers and thunderstorms over the waters throughout the day.
Gusty and erratic winds, waterspouts, heavy rain, and frequent
lightning will all be possible. Looking ahead, more tranquil
boating conditions are on tap beginning Friday night.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 406 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

As the outer bands from Francine move through our area, showers,
storms, and gusty winds will be possible through the day. Some of
the stronger storms could produce heavy rain and isolated tornadoes.
Otherwise, southeast transport winds around 20 to 25 mph will result
in good dispersions across the area. Transport winds will weaken and
become more variable Friday into Saturday, leading to continued good
dispersions each day. Showers and storms will continue Friday and
decrease on Saturday. Otherwise, fire weather concerns remain low
for the next few days.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
Issued at 406 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

With very high PWATs within the tropical airmass, Francine's rain
bands will be efficient rain producers. PWATs will reach 2.2 to 2.6
inches across the area. These rainbands are generally slowly moving
east, but individual storms are moving northward. If these rain
bands end up training, then some locations could see several inches
of rain within a short period of time. Given this and the fact that
3 to 6 inches of rain fell yesterday in southeast Alabama and
southwest Georgia, have expanded the Flood Watch across southeast
Alabama, southwest Georgia, and the western Florida Big Bend. Over
the next couple of days, rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches are likely
within the watch area with localized totals as high as 10 inches.
Gradually, the heavy rain threat will taper through Friday.

At this time, riverine flooding does not appear to be a concern
given antecedent drought conditions. The rivers along and west of
the ACF basin are generally running low, so a good part of this rain
will be beneficial for replenishing the waterways.

Coastal tide gages around Panama city have peaked around 1.5 ft.
MHHW this high tide cycle. This is likely the highest that the water
levels will reach, and we'll see a gradual decline in water levels
along the coast.

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is requested. Spotters should safely report
significant weather conditions and/or damage by calling the
office or tweeting us @NWSTallahassee.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Tallahassee   82  73  84  71 /  90  60  80  40
Panama City   84  75  85  73 / 100  60  60  20
Dothan        80  73  84  69 /  80  70  70  40
Albany        80  72  82  70 /  70  50  80  60
Valdosta      81  73  84  72 /  60  40  80  40
Cross City    86  74  87  73 /  70  50  80  30
Apalachicola  84  76  84  74 /  90  70  70  30

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...Flood Watch through Friday evening for FLZ007>017-026-027-108-
     112-114-115-127.

     Coastal Flood Advisory until 2 PM EDT /1 PM CDT/ this afternoon
     for FLZ108-112-114.

     High Rip Current Risk through late Friday night for FLZ108-112-
     114-115.

     High Surf Advisory until 11 PM EDT /10 PM CDT/ this evening for
     FLZ108-112-114.

GA...Flood Watch through Friday evening for GAZ120>126-142>145-
     155>157.

AL...Flood Watch through Friday evening for ALZ065>069.

GM...Small Craft Advisory until 2 PM EDT this afternoon for GMZ730-
     755-765-775.

     Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM CDT this evening for GMZ750-752-
     770-772.

&&

NEAR TERM...Young
SHORT TERM...KR
LONG TERM....KR
AVIATION...Young
MARINE...KR
FIRE WEATHER...Young
HYDROLOGY...Young

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 12, 4:32 AM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
632 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0632 AM     Marine Tstm Wind 3 SSW Eastpoint         29.72N 84.89W
09/12/2024  M41 MPH          GMZ755             FL   Mesonet

            41 mph gust at the St George Island Bridge
            Weatherstem.

&&
Local storm report, Sep 12, 4:53 AM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
653 AM EDT Thu Sep 12 2024

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0645 AM     Marine Tstm Wind Saint George Island     29.66N 84.86W
09/12/2024  M39 MPH          Franklin           FL   Mesonet

            Weatherstem station gusted to 39 mph.

&&

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Walton

When
September 12, 6:10 AM CST
Where
Walton County, 1.38 mi WNW of Miramar Beach
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
30.380, -86.380

A tree was blown down in the Miramar Beach area along with lawn debris blown onto a roadway.

Flash Flood, Walton

When
September 12, 7:30 AM CST to 9:15 AM CST
Where
Walton County, 0.91 mi NE of Four Mile Village to 1.11 mi S of Turquoise Beach
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
30.380, -86.310

Pointe of View Condos behind Grand Blvd flooded with knee deep water up to the doors of some vehicles.

Flash Flood, Walton

When
September 12, 7:30 AM CST to 9:15 AM CST
Where
Walton County, 0.69 mi N of Gulf Pines to 0.41 mi N of Four Mile Village
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
30.380, -86.330

Highway 98 was flooded in the Santa Rosa Beach area with two eastbound lanes closed.

Funnel Cloud, Franklin

When
September 12, 9:13 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 0.69 mi N of Carrabelle
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
29.860, -84.660

Flash Flood, Gulf

When
September 12, 9:38 AM CST to 10:30 AM CST
Where
Gulf County, 0.69 mi S of Highland View to 0.81 mi SSE of Highland View
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
29.820, -85.310

Highway 98 in Port St Joe had about a foot of water on it.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
September 12, 11:15 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 0.46 mi WNW of Apalachicola to 0.52 mi WNW of Apalachicola
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
29.723, -84.987

Flooding between 8th and 9th Street along Highway 98 resulted in a road closure.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
September 12, 12:30 PM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 6.9 mi SSE of Apalachicola to 7.02 mi SSE of Apalachicola
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
29.630, -84.930

Video on social media showed notable street flooding on Saint George Island Plantation.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
September 13, 5:30 AM EST to 9:15 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 1.55 mi ENE of Carrabelle to 1.71 mi ENE of Carrabelle
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
29.855, -84.635

Water was fully covering the westbound lane of Highway 98 near Island View Park.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
September 13, 7:30 AM EST to 9:15 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 0.52 mi WNW of Apalachicola to 0.54 mi WNW of Apalachicola
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
29.723, -84.988

Flooding occurred with water over the road on Ave E and 9th Street.

Flash Flood, Washington

When
September 13, 1:07 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Washington County, Ebro to 0.44 mi W of Ebro
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
30.440, -85.870

Two to three feet of water was reported over Highway 79 south of Highway 20.

Flash Flood, Bay

When
September 13, 1:23 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Bay County, 2.07 mi WSW of Southport to 2.05 mi WSW of Southport
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
30.269, -85.672

The public reported significant street flooding via mping.

Flash Flood, Walton

When
September 13, 1:30 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Walton County, 0.6 mi NNE of Seaside to 0.43 mi N of Seaside
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
30.318, -86.125

Water was crossing Highway 20A at Seagrove Beach.

Flash Flood, Bay

When
September 13, 1:30 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Bay County, 2.14 mi ESE of Pine Log to 3.92 mi NE of Laird
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
30.385, -85.879

Highway 79 was flooded just past Steelfield Road headed north. Semi tractor trailers were pulling over, and low cars could not pass through the flooded area.

Flash Flood, Bay

When
September 13, 2:30 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Bay County, 1.77 mi NE of Magnolia Beach to 1.9 mi NE of Magnolia Beach
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
30.169, -85.700

Flooding was reported at the 1300 block of Beck Ave.

Flash Flood, Bay

When
September 13, 2:30 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Bay County, 1.83 mi SW of (Pfn)panama City Arpt to 2.01 mi SW of (Pfn)panama City Arpt
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
30.180, -85.700

Flooding was reported from Highway 98 at Lake Ave to Highway 98 at Deer Road.

Flash Flood, Bay

When
September 13, 2:32 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Bay County, 4.36 mi NW of Vicksburg to 2.26 mi WSW of Gainer Springs
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
30.367, -85.709

The Bay County Sheriff's Office reported impassable roads due to flooding.

Flash Flood, Gulf

When
September 13, 3:59 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where
Gulf County, 1.51 mi SSW of Wewahitchka to 2.08 mi S of Wewahitchka
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
30.090, -85.200

The public reported significant street flooding via mping.

Flash Flood, Gulf

When
September 13, 4:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Gulf County, 0.63 mi S of Oak Grove to 0.96 mi SSW of Highland View
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
29.781, -85.300

Water was reported over several roadways in the Port St Joe area.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
September 13, 6:30 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 5.56 mi S of Eastpoint to 6.28 mi S of Eastpoint
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
29.670, -84.860

Water was covering Franklin Blvd and W Bay Shore Dr.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
September 13, 6:50 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 0.47 mi NW of Apalachicola to 0.31 mi NNW of Apalachicola
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
29.726, -84.984

The public reported that their driveway had ruts 12 inches deep from running water through town down to the bay. You could hear the water running through town down to the bay from the end of Ave C Road.

Flash Flood, Jackson

When
September 14, 10:45 PM CST to September 15, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Jackson County, 1 mi N of Malone to 1 mi NW of Malone
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
30.965, -85.160

Flooding in the Malone area resulted in a sewer backup.

Flash Flood, Jackson

When
September 15, 2:15 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where
Jackson County, 3.72 mi N of Bascom to 2.17 mi SE of Bascom
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
30.973, -85.101

There was a report of water entering a residence off Highway 2 in the Bascom area.

Flash Flood, Jackson

When
September 15, 4:00 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where
Jackson County, 2 mi N of Malone to 2 mi NW of Malone
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
30.979, -85.160

A photo on social media showed water up to the porch of a residence in the Malone area.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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.
Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, September 2024

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1203258, 1203667, 1203668, 1203669, 1203670, 1203671, 1203672, 1203755, 1203753, 1203758, 1203764, 1203759, 1203765, 1203766, 1203767, 1203768, 1203760, 1203761, 1203762, 1203763, 1203710, 1203712, 1203713.