The Dexes / Coastal Flood, High Surf & Storm Surge / 722672
Eventdex · Coastal Flood, High Surf & Storm Surge
CHARLESTON
722672
The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| Event typeevent_type | Storm Surge/Tide |
|---|---|
| NOAA NCEI event IDncei_event_id | 722,672 |
| Episode IDepisode_id | 120,590 |
| Begin UTCbegin_utc | 2017-09-11T14:00:00+00:00 |
| End UTCend_utc | 2017-09-11T22:00:00+00:00 |
| Statestate | SOUTH CAROLINA |
| County/zone typecz_type | Z |
| County/zone namecz_name | CHARLESTON |
| Deaths directdeaths_direct | 0 |
| Deaths indirectdeaths_indirect | 0 |
| Injuries directinjuries_direct | 0 |
| Injuries indirectinjuries_indirect | 0 |
| Damage propertydamage_property | 0.00K |
| Damage cropsdamage_crops | 0.00K |
| Weather forecast office sourcewfo_source | Emergency Manager |
| Episode narrativeepisode_narrative | Irma first developed into a tropical storm on August 30th about 420 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, and within 24 hours strengthened into a hurricane. Irma continued to intensify and became a major hurricane over the eastern Atlantic on September 1st. After undergoing a brief period of weakening on September 2nd, Irma once again strengthened into a major hurricane on September 3rd and maintained major hurricane status through September 10th when it made landfall on the southwest Florida coast. During this extended period as a major hurricane, Irma set numerous intensity records for a hurricane in the Atlantic basin. Maximum sustained winds reached 185 mph, making Irma the strongest storm on record to exist in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Also, Irma���s 185 mph maximum sustained winds are tied for the second strongest maximum winds all time in an Atlantic hurricane. The minimum central pressure reached during Irma���s life cycle was 914 mb which is the lowest pressure on record by an Atlantic hurricane outside of the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, Irma maintained Category 5 status for 3 consecutive days which is the longest on record for an Atlantic hurricane. Irma stayed on a general westward track through September 5th when it began a gradual turn to the west-northwest. On this west-northwestward track, Irma eventually skirted along the north coast of Cuba on September 9th before turning northward toward Florida on September 10th. Irma officially made landfall at Marco Island, FL at 3:35 pm September 10 as a Category 3 hurricane. Following landfall, Irma tracked to the north-northwest and eventually the northwest as it progressed up the western side of the Florida peninsula. Irma steadily weakened during this time and was downgraded to a tropical storm near the big bend of Florida at 8:00 am on September 11th. Through the rest of September 11th, Irma tracked to the northwest into southern Georgia and widespread impacts occurred across the Southeast.||Despite the fact that the center of Irma tracked well to the west of the southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina region, it still caused significant impacts due to heavy rainfall, strong winds, tornadoes, and storm surge. Feeder bands around Irma continuously moved onshore on September 11th and produced very heavy rainfall rates with rainfall totals generally ranging from 3 to 9 inches. The peak storm total rainfall of 9.07��� was recorded by a CoCoRaHS observer near Beaufort, SC. Daily record rainfall totals for September 11th were recorded at all 3 climate sites in the area: 5.51��� at the Charleston International Airport (KCHS), 4.53��� at Downtown Charleston (KCXM), and 4.74��� at the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV). This widespread heavy rain resulted in several reports of flash flooding with water entering homes and businesses. Wind damage produced numerous power outages across the region with some damage to structures and numerous downed trees. The strongest winds were confined to coastal locations, but frequent gusts into the 40-50 mph range occurred well inland. The maximum sustained wind recorded was 59 mph by the Weatherflow site on the Folly Beach Pier (XFOL) and the maximum wind gust recorded was 76 mph by the Weatherflow site near Beaufort (XBUF). One fatality and 1 injury occurred from trees falling on homes and across roadways in southeast South Carolina. The entire southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina coast was impacted by storm surge generally ranging from 3 to 6 feet. This storm surge produced numerous reports of 4 to 6 feet of inundation above ground level, mainly along the southeast South Carolina coast. A peak surge of 4.87 feet occurred at the Charleston Harbor tide gauge at 2:00 pm while a peak surge of 5.63 feet occurred at the Fort Pulaski tide gauge at 5:42 am. Significant beach erosion occurred at area beaches with widespread damage to docks and piers all along the coast, as well as numerous reports of inundated roadways. |
| Event narrativeevent_narrative | Charleston County Emergency Management and a National Weather Service storm survey team confirmed widespread significant impacts due to storm surge associated with Tropical Storm Irma. Storm surge impacted Downtown Charleston and surrounding areas within the tidal zone. In Downtown Charleston, numerous media accounts showed sea water breaching the wall along the battery with several feet of inundation in White Point Gardens. The inundation due to storm surge and heavy rainfall became so widespread that the Charleston Police Department closed the peninsula to travel during the event. Other areas impacted include Schooner Road, Galleon Road, and Seaward Drive on James Island where extensive dock damage occurred. A National Weather Service storm survey team estimated 4 to 5 feet of inundation along the west bank of the Stono River near Abbapoola Creek where extensive dock damage also occurred. At the Wappoo Cut boat ramp, Highway 17 on both sides of the Ashley River bridge , Ripley Light Marina, and Lockwood Drive north and south of the James Island Expressway were flooded. Even further inland, River Road was closed near where it intersects with Main Road on Johns Island. Based on analysis of data from the USGS Storm Tide Sensor Network, inundation across the county ranged from 1 to almost 6 feet above ground level. The peak inundation level surveyed was 5.89 feet above ground level on Eagle Point Road on Kiawah Island. Widespread significant erosion and dune destruction occurred as a result of storm surge at beaches across the county including Kiaway Island, Folly Beach, Sullivan's Island, and Isle of Palms. The National Ocean Service tide gauge in Charleston Harbor measured a peak tide level of 9.92 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) or 4.15 feet Mean Higher High Water (MHHW). This tide value ranks as the 3rd highest on record for the Charleston Harbor gauge and the peak surge value measured during the event was 4.87 feet. |
| Yearyear | 2,017 |
Provenance
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