Effects of Hurricane Isaac in Florida

It has been suggested that this article be merged with Hurricane Isaac (2012). (Discuss) Proposed since May 2024.

Tropical Storm Isaac

Isaac approaching the Florida Keys on August 26
Tropical storm
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	60 mph (95 km/h)
Lowest pressure	990 mbar (hPa); 29.23 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	2 indirect
Damage	$91.5 million (2012 USD)
Areas affected	Florida
Part of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season

The effects of Hurricane Isaac in Florida were severe local flooding in South Florida and tornadoes in Central and Northern Florida in August 2012. Hurricane Isaac formed from a tropical wave while located east of the Lesser Antilles on August 21, 2012. The storm moved westward, crossed through the Leeward Islands, and entered the Caribbean Sea on August 22. Isaac initially struggled to intensify and defied predictions of it strengthening into a hurricane. The storm made its first landfall in Haiti as a midgrade tropical storm prior to making a second one in Cuba later that day. It remained somewhat disorganized while moving through the Straits of Florida and passed near the Florida Keys on August 27. The storm threatened to strike the Tampa Bay Area during the 2012 Republican National Convention and move ashore in the Florida Panhandle as a major hurricane.^[1] However, it continued northwestward and avoided landfall in the state. The storm finally became a hurricane late on August 28. Isaac made two landfalls in Louisiana on August 29, the first near the mouth of the Mississippi River and the other near Port Fourchon. The storm steadily weakened and eventually dissipated over Missouri on September 1.

Despite passing closest to the Florida Keys, impact was minimal, limited to tropical storm-force winds and light rainfall. The outer bands of Isaac produced heavy precipitation further north, especially in Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Indian River counties. In the former, the resultant flooding left numerous residents in Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee isolated. There was extensive street flooding, and water entered a few houses. Damage in Palm Beach County alone was nearly $71.6 million (2012 USD). Inland flooding was also reported in several other counties, though losses were generally minor. A tornado in Indian River County damaged 118 mobile homes and 15 single family homes. Further north in Central Florida and the Panhandle, the storm spawned four other tornadoes. Tides along the Gulf Coast of Florida caused erosion and coastal flooding in Bay, Collier, Franklin, Gulf, and Wakulla counties. Though winds caused little damage, around 113,000 customers were left without electricity in South Florida. The storm resulted in two indirect fatalities, both caused by vehicles driving on slick roads in Palm Beach and Okeechobee counties. Throughout the state, damage reached approximately $91.45 million.