Hurricane Milton (WFO JAX)
Milton's impacts on northeast Florida and the southeast Georgia coast, October 8th through the 10th, 2024
NOTE: The data provided are preliminary. They are subject to updates and corrections as appropriate. The National Hurricane Center is responsible for conducting the official post-analysis of all tropical cyclones. Once compiled, the Tropical Cyclone Report is posted here: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/index.php .
Rainfall
Winds
River & Rainfall Flooding
Moderate to Major flooding occurred across the St. Johns River Basin and other rivers in northeast Florida due to heavy rainfall totals in central Florida, as well as the storm surge associated with Milton as it existed the east coast of Florida near Cape Canaveral.
St. Johns County
The St. Johns River tributary Deep Creek at Spuds, in southern St. Johns County, crested at 5.94 ft MHHW on October 10th at 2 PM EDT. This broke the prior record water level that was established during Hurricane Irma in September 2017. This record flood level was mostly due to rainfall runoff from the widespread 5-10 inches of rainfall that fell across southern St. Johns County combined with elevated tides. Water levels at this gauge near the town of Hastings were above what is considered major flooding from around sunset on Wednesday, October 9th through 12 PM on Saturday, October 12th. The Flagler Estates and Hastings communities were severely impacted with extensive flooding. Photos are from the St. Johns Emergency Management team, and St. Johns county sheriff's office.
Flagler County
Widespread 4-9 inches of rain were reported, with the highest storm total measured at 9.36 inches in Bunnell. Street flooding from rainfall as well as overflow from creeks, canals, and lakes was present across the county. Haw Creek above Russell Landing near Crescent Lake reached record flooding at major flood stage, 9.2 feet on October 12th. Over wash on A1A was reported in Marineland. Photos from (1) John Eaten, (2) Lynn Toben, (3) Tammy Newton, (4) FDOT.
Putnam County
Several homes in the Sutherlands Still and Welaka areas had flooding in homes and covering streets, as the Dunns Creek near Satsuma reached major flood stage at 3.32 feet MHHW, and the St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff reached major flood at 3.14 feet MHHW. Extensive flooding is still being reported in southern Putnam county mainly around Welaka, as of Saturday, Oct 12th. Widespread 3+ inches of rain fell across the county, with the high end values at 6-7 inches in Palatka. Photos from (1 & 2) Putnam County Emergency Management, (3) Putnam county sheriff's office, (4) ANJAX.
Haw Creek above Russell Landing and Deep Creek at Spuds both broke their previous records.
Tornadoes
Northeast Florida and southeast Georgia were on the left side of Milton, leaving a minimal tornado threat over Marion, Putnam, and Flagler counties. However, a Florida record for number of tornado warnings issued in one day was set from Milton, with a total number of warnings reaching 126. The Miami, Melbourne, and Tampa NWS offices surveyed tornado damage after Milton passed, confirming three EF-3 tornadoes, which is rare for tropical events. NWS Jacksonville did not have to issue any tornado warnings, since the threat rapidly declined north of central Florida.
Rapid Intensification
Milton is now ranked as the fifth most intense Atlantic hurricane by central barometric pressure, peaking at 897mb on October 7th. Based on wind speed, Milton became the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Rita in 2005, peaking at 180 mph on the 7th.
Rapid intensification is defined as a 35 mph increase in wind speed in 24 hours. On October 5th, Milton formed as a Tropical Depression, a couple hours later Tropical Storm Milton was named. By the next day, Milton was a category 1 hurricane, and within 24 hours after becoming a hurricane, Milton increased by an additional 95 mph.
Additional Resources:
- NWS JAX post storm report: https://www.weather.gov/media/jax/TropicalEventSummary/PSHJAX_2024AL14_Milton_Summary.pdf
- NWS JAX county impact narratives: https://www.weather.gov/media/jax/TropicalEventSummary/PSHJAX_2024AL14_Milton_ImpactNarratives.pdf
- NHC Milton Advisory Archive: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2024/MILTON.shtml?
- NOTE: The data provided are preliminary. They are subject to updates and corrections as appropriate.
- The National Hurricane Center is responsible for conducting the official post-analysis of all tropical cyclones. Once compiled, the Tropical Cyclone Report is posted here: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/index.php .
