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Below is a list of some of the more significant flood events that have impacted Palm Beach County since 1900.
Hurricane of September 25, 2004 Still reeling from Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Jeanne (a Category 3 storm) made landfall within 2 miles of where Frances hit 3 weeks earlier. Again Plam Beach County escaped the worst of the storm, but did suffer some isolated physical damage. Jeanne dropped another 10 inches of rain on an already soaked Palm Beach County causing significant street flooding and the isolation of homes in several communities. While the southern portion of the county had the greter accumulation of rainfall, there was widespread street flooding throughout the county. Areas of significant flooding included Lucana in Boynton Beach, Pineapple Park and Belvedere Park in West Palm Beach, Amaryllis Gardens in Pahokee, Seminole Garden in Riviera Beach, Lake Shore Drive in Lake Park, PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Seminole in Juno Beach, and parts of Jupiter Farms in Jupiter. Before Jeanne struck, Lake Okeechobee hovered at about 16 feet, one foot below the maximum level safety engineers feel the dike can safely sustain. Fortunately, no significant breaches occurred with the added rains of Jeanne. Hurricane of September 5, 2004 Hurricane Frances, a massive Category 2 storm, made landfall near Sewall's Point, just east of Stuart. Although it avoided much of the physical damage of its neighbors to the north, Palm Beach County suffered extensive vegetative damage county-wide, scatttered physical damage in coastal areas and mobile home parks, and localized street flooding throughout the region. Between 10AM on September 3rd and 10AM on September 5th, Frances dumped 12.47 inches in Palm Beach County. There were very few repprts of house flooding. About 90% of FPL Customers in the county were without power for several days. Record Rainfall June - July 2002 On July 14, 2002 a record 37 consecutive days of rain came to a conclusion, just three days short of the biblical 40 days and nights. The combined June-July rainfall total was 6 inches below the all time record. June rainfall was 20.16" (12.5% above normal). The county experienced 5 days of 1" or more rain. The water level in Lake Okeechobee rose to 13.57 feet. Because this rainy period was preceded by an extended dry period and rains were spread over several days, flooding was pretty much limited to street flooding. Hurricane Irene October 1999 Hurricane Irene weakened to Tropical Storm force winds by the time it tracked north through the Everglades, but it menaced South Florida and Palm Beach County with incessant rains and its sluggish pace. In the end it dropped 10-20 inches of rain throughout the County, causing extensive flooding in some areas. By Friday evening (October 15) 125,000 homes in Palm Beach County were without power. Unnamed Storm of January 1999 Saturday January 2, 1999 a cold front stalled over the northern part of Palm Beach County. Warm, moist air from the Bahamas became entrained in this frontal system and produced an intense rain event, especially severe in Northern Palm Beach. Between 18 and 22 inches of rain fell in the northern third of the county over a 12 to 18 hour period. Tropical Storm (Mitch) October 1998 Hurricane Mitch was one of the deadliest storms in Atlantic History. By the time it reached Florida on November 4 and 5, 1998 it had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Palm Beach County received minimal rains from this storm, which passed to the north of the county. The Unnamed Storm of October 1995 A stalled frontal system dropped over 15 inches of rain on Palm Beach County over a 39-hour period in October 1995. Palm Beach County experienced significant flooding. Hurricane (Erin) August 1995 Hurricane Erin made landfall near Sebastian Inlet August 2, 1995.Heavy rains of up to 8 inches in three hours were associated with the backside of this storm and flooding occurred in low-lying areas along the county's northern edge. Tropical Storm (Gordon) October 1994 Tropical storm Gordon moved across the State of Florida on October 16, 1994. The storm caused 8 deaths and 43 injuries. Palm Beach County received over 17 inches of rain over a three-day period. Altogether Palm Beach received approximately 100 inches of rain in 1994, making that year the wettest year since 1913. State wide damages associated with Gordon totaled over $400 million. Flood of January 1989 On January 21 and 22, 1989 Palm Beach County experienced a gale with subtropical storm characteristics that caused extensive beach erosion and dropped four to six inches of rain across the country. This caused ponding of water in low-lying areas. Several homes and a motel were damaged. Road flooding caused several accidents. Tropical Storm (Bob) June 1985 On June 23, 1985 Tropical Storm Bob moved across South Florida in a northeasterly direction from Fort Myers to just north of Palm Beach. Rainfall from this storm did minor damage. Palm Beach County suffered some agricultural losses due to the rainfall. The Great Thanksgiving Holiday East Coast Storm of 1984 A strong low-pressure system developed east of Florida and coupled with a high-pressure system going northwest produced an extremely strong pressure gradient leading to gale force winds and high seas along the entire Florida east coast. There was extensive coastal erosion and flooding. Many coastal structures were damaged or destroyed including several in Palm Beach County. Tropical Storm (Isidore) September 1984 Tropical Storm Isidore made landfall near West Palm Beach September 27, 1984. Highest winds were 73 mph and rainfall was reported to be 5 to 7 inches over a 24-hour period. There was some flooding. Rains of March 1982 On March 28 and 29, 1982 Palm Beach County was subjected to a severe coastal storm with heavy rains and high winds. Lantana measured 16 inches of rain over a 24-hour period. High seas sunk a freighter and a total of 11 people were drowned. Hurricane (David) September 1979 David raked the eastern coastline of Florida from Palm Beach County northward. It was officially classed as a minimal hurricane. Light to moderate erosion was reported along the Palm Beach County coastline. Storm rainfall was quite variable from location to location. Totals generally ranged from six to nine inches, but some stations reported as much as 11 inches during the storms passage. Hurricane (Agnes) June 1972 Hurricane Agnes moved through the Gulf of Mexico off's west coast. It spawned the worst severe weather out break in Florida history. The outer rain bands covered virtually the entire peninsula and spawned numerous tornadoes. There were 7 people killed and 117 injured throughout the State. Damage estimates totaled $5 million to public property and $36 million to private property. Rains of October 1966 On October 22, 1966 heavy rains ranging from 8 to 10 inches over a 24-hour period destroyed approximately 4,300 acres of vegetable crops. Hurricane (Cleo) August 1964 This small but destructive storm moved northward into Biscayne Bay on August 27,1964. Palm Beach County received 3 to 5 inches of rain associated with this storm. Hurricane (Donna) September 1960 Hurricane Donna was the 6th most intense U.S. hurricane at landfall. Rainfall ranged from 5 to 10 inches in an 80 to 100 mile wide belt following this storm's track. The high water closed many roads and inundated considerable agricultural land. At least 12 people were killed State wide and more than 1,794 were injured. Flood of June 1959 Heavy rains fell across most of Central Florida from June 17th through the 21st. These rains were associated with and followed a tropical depression. Considerable pastureland and some citrus land in Palm Beach County were inundated. Some highways also sustained damage from these floodwaters. Rains of January 1957 On January 21, 1957 Palm Beach County received 9 to 21 inches of rainfall within a 24-hour period. There was severe flooding and much crop damage. Flood of October 1953 This flood was preceded by five months of heavier than normal rainfall, which included a tropical storm in October. June through October rainfall was approximately 48 inches. Hurricane of August 1949 This category 3 / 4 hurricane made landfall in Florida between Delray and Palm Beach winds of 130 mph and a barometric pressure of 954.0 mill bars (28.17 in.). Tides of 11.3 ft at Fort Pierce, 8.5ft at Stuart and 6.9ft at Lake Worth were reported. Damages in Florida were estimated at $45 million. Statewide over 500 people lost their homes as a result of this storm. Flood of 1947 This flood is generally considered to be the most severe flood recorded in Southern Florida. Heavy rainfall including the rains from two hurricanes occurred over a period of five months. Many parts of Palm Beach County were flooded for months and there was extensive damage to dairy pastures and agriculture in general. Such a flooding event would be much more significant today because of the increase in land development. Hurricane of June 1945 This hurricane entered from the Gulf of Mexico. Palm Beach County received rain and winds from this storm. Hurricane of August 1939 This was a weak hurricane that made landfall near Fort Pierce on the morning of August 11. Minimal damage and flooding was experienced in Palm Beach County. Hurricane of September 1933 This major category 3 hurricane passed over Jupiter Island with a barometric pressure of 947.5 mill bars (27.98 in.). Maximum winds recorded were 127 mph. Severe waterfront damage was reported in Stuart. Minimal damage was reported from Palm County, although there was flooding in the lower areas of the county. Hurricane of September 1928 This hurricane made landfall near the Town of Palm Beach as a strong category 4 hurricane. This was the 5th most intense hurricane ever to make landfall in U.S. territory and is credited as the second most deadly U.S. storm. Palm Beach County experienced extensive wind damage and sudden flooding from overflow of Lake Okeechobee which claimed thousands of lives in the western county. Hurricane of July 1926 A category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph made land fall near Jupiter on the morning of July 1926. This hurricane circled inland along Florida's east coast causing Palm Beach to experience winds and flooding. Hurricane of September 1903 This hurricane made landfall near West Palm Beach on September 11, 1903. Maximum recorded winds were only 78 mph, however 14 deaths were attributed to this storm and one ship was wrecked near Jupiter, Florida. |
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