Florida Environment & Hazard Risk

The highest wind reported in Lee County from Hurricane Ian was a gust to 140 mph at a weatherSTEM station at the Cape Coral yacht club at 4:20 PM EST on September 28. Catastrophic damage was caused by the storm surge that most severely affected coastal areas. Surveys indicate a maximum storm surge near 15 feet near the northwest part of Fort Myers Beach, with widespread 10 to 12 feet of inundation across parts of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach, with all of Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach experiencing 6 to 8 feet of inundation. The peak recorded water level of 7.26 feet above MHHW at Fort Myers along the Caloosahatchee River at 5:30 PM EST on September 28 surpassed the previous record of 3.36 feet above MHHW, set during Hurricane Gabrielle in 2001. Structures on barrier islands were washed away, and causeways and bridges partially collapsed or were heavily damaged. Rainfall generally ranged from 5 to 10 inches with a maximum of 9.82 inches reported south of Charlotte Park. Lee County emergency management reported over 50,000 buildings damaged, of which 5,369 were destroyed, 14,245 received major damage, 16,314 received minor damage, and another 17,871 were...

Hurricane Michael started as typical weak October Caribbean tropical system. However, after approximately a week of slow development, the system moved into warm Gulf of Mexico waters and rapidly intensified into a major hurricane as it moved north towards the Florida Panhandle. After a 2-day long intensification period over the eastern Gulf, Michael made landfall as an unprecedented (for the region) high-end category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Florida Panhandle with maximum sustained wind speed of 155 mph and a minimum pressure 919 mb. Based on wind, Michael is the fourth most powerful hurricane to hit the United States, behind the Labor Day Hurricane (1935), Hurricane Camille (1969) and Hurricane Andrew (1992), and the most powerful storm to impact the Florida Panhandle in recorded history. Based on central pressure, Michael is the third most powerful hurricane to hit the United States, behind only the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) and Hurricane Camille (1969). The storm caused catastrophic damage from wind and storm surge, particularly in the Panama City Beach to Mexico Beach to Cape San Blas areas. The widespread catastrophic damage spread...

The highest wind reported in Charlotte County from Hurricane Ian was a gust to 111 mph near Grove city at 3:26 PM EST on September 28. Rainfall generally ranged from 5 to 10 inches over the eastern half of the county, to 15 to 25 inches across western and coastal locations, where an event-maximum total of 26.95 inches was reported near Grove City. Initial assessments reported over 200 homes destroyed; however, assessments remain ongoing, with additional structures likely damaged or destroyed. There were 8 fatalities directly attributed to Hurricane Ian by the medical examiner.

Wind gusts of 100-110 mph were measured at about 100-150 feet above ground level over western Collier county at the Naples Grande Resort, at Kalea Bay, and at Naples Municipal Airport. Peak near-surface wind gusts were likely in the 80-90 mph range. Wind damage was mainly confined to trees/fences/screens, with minor wind damage to vulnerable structures. ||Estimated highest number of customers without power was 201,095 as of 3 PM on September 29th. ||Reported damage estimate for the entire county is $2.2 billion, which includes storm surge-related damage. Of that, $1.7 billion is to residential properties and $492 million to commercial properties. A total of 33 buildings were destroyed, with 3,515 residential and commercial buildings suffering major damage. Breakdown of damage amount by|City/area: unincorporated Collier County $948 million, city of Naples $989|Million, Marco Island $256 million, Everglades City $7.1 million.

The highest wind reported in Sarasota County from Hurricane Ian was a gust to 109 mph at Tarpon Point at 12:56 PM EST on September 28. Rainfall generally ranged from 8 to 12 inches over the northern third of the county, to 15 to 20 inches across central and southern locations, where a maximum total of 21.45 inches was reported northeast of Northport. The Myakka river at Myakka River State Park reached a record level of 12.84 feet on October 1 at 11:45 PM EST, and area flooding prompted closure of Interstate 75 and offramps near heaviest affected flooding locations. There were 8 fatalities directly attributed to Hurricane Ian by the medical examiner.

One person was killed when a tree fell through their house. Two others died from cardiac arrest. There were 120 people in the mini temporary hospital that was set up. Nearly all customers lost power due to widespread downed power lines and trees.