Fay's Phenomenal Florida Floods Fading Gustav Getting Going?

5 pm Update: Although the appearance of Tropical Storm Gustav has become somewhat ragged during the day, maximum winds are still 60 mph at 5 pm, based on the latest aircraft reconnaissance data. Movement is toward the northwest at 14 mph; the storm is expected to be near or over Haiti during the day tomorrow. There is still significant uncertainty in the track, and the latest official forecast brings Gustav more to the west and over Cuba.

PM Update: At 2 pm, the National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Gustav. Maximum winds are already around 60 mph, and some strengthening is likely in the next 24 hours. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued for major portions of the southern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Original post:

Whatever this tropical season lacks so far in sheer number of storms or in extreme intensity, it's making up for in persistence. Fay's long reign as a tropical storm came to an end late Saturday evening when it was downgraded to a tropical depression, but its rains have continued. As the 7-day precipitation map shows, nearly the entire state of Florida except for the western panhandle was drenched with torrential amounts of precipitation.

As the center of the remnants continued to move through east central Mississippi this morning, heavy rains were rotating into that western panhandle area as well. Flash flood watches are in effect for that portion of Florida, as well as parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and eastern Louisiana. Flood warnings are in effect in areas of northern Florida and southern Georgia.

Meanwhile, an area of storms which had persistently tracked westward into the central Caribbean was looking very impressive on satellite imagery today. It has now become Tropical Depression 7, and it could develop into Tropical Storm Gustav if data from aircraft reconnaissance this afternoon provide support for that interpretation. According to the Tropical Atlantic recon decoder, peak surface winds were estimated a few minutes ago as high as 41 kt. (47 mph).

Some storm total amounts from Fay in northern Florida through yesterday afternoon rival the amounts that fell through the end of last week on the east coast of Florida. They include:

OFFICIAL NWS ASOS SITES. STORM TOTALS (08/21/08- 4 PM EDT 08/24/08)

TALLAHASSEE (TLH) 11.44
PANAMA CITY (PFN) 1.53
ALBANY (ABY) 4.97
DOTHAN (DHN) 4.32
APALACHICOLA (AAF) 2.54
PERRY (40J) 13.64
CROSS CITY (CTY) 8.83
MARIANNA (MAI) 2.99

TALLAHASSEE NWS FORECAST OFFICE: 15.12 (THROUGH 2PM 08/24/08)


COCORAHS OBSERVERS (72 HOUR TOTALS ENDING 7 AM 08/24/08)

WACISSA 1.1 SW (FL-JF-3) 17.79
TALLAHASSEE 5.7 SE (FL-LN-4) 17.67
TALLAHASSEE 6.1 SE (FL-LN-33) 17.07
TALLAHASSEE 14.2 NE (FL-LN-31) 16.88
TALLAHASSEE 6.1 NE (FL-LN-13) 16.41
TALLAHASSEE 0.6 SE (FL-LN-23) 15.99
TALLAHASSEE 8.3 N (FL-LN-22) 15.90
TALLAHASSEE 2.8 N (FL-LN-26) 15.39
TALLAHASSEE 4.3 N (FL-LN-17) 14.96
MONTICELLO 0.2 ESE (FL-JF-1) 14.57
TALLAHASSEE 1.3 SW (FL-LN-10) 14.53
TALLAHASSEE 6.1 E (FL-LN-15) 13.88
TALLAHASSEE 3.5 N (FL-LN-25) 13.69
TALLAHASSEE 3.1 NW (FL-LN-29) 13.64
TALLAHASSEE 2.6 WNW (FL-LN-8) 12.63
TALLAHASSEE 5.7 NNE (FL-LN-20) 12.59
TALLAHASSEE 1.8 NW (FL-LN-12) 12.56
TALLAHASSEE 3.3 SSE (FL-LN-28) 12.54
MONTICELLO 3.6 WSW (FL-JF-5) 12.38
MADISON 8.3 NN3 (FL-MS-2) 11.80
CRAWFORDVILLE 2.5 NE (FL-WK-4) 10.74
ST MARKS 8.2 SW (FL-WK-2) 9.58
ST MARKS 9.2 W (FL-WK-1) 9.54
MIDWAY 6.9 SW (FL-LN-18) 6.13
WEWAHITCHKA 1.6 SW (FL-GF-2) 2.35
PORT ST JOE 0.6 SE (FL-GF-1) 1.75


NWS COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS (72-HR TOTALS ENDING 8 AM 08/24/08)

ST MARKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE (SMNF1) 17.53
DOWLING PARK (DOWF1) 12.62
QUITMAN (QTMG1) 10.78
BRISTOL (BRLF1) 10.50
VALDOSTA (VDSG1) 8.29
TALLAHASSEE AIRPORT (TASF1) 8.79
CROSS CITY (CRSF1) 8.52
BLAKELY (BLKG1) 7.35
DONALSONVILLE (DNVG1) 7.15
FORT GAINES (FTGG1) 6.75
LEESBURG (LEEG1) 6.51

RIVER GAGES (08/21/08 - 2 PM EDT 08/24/08)

THOMASVILLE (TMLG1) 19.14
HAVANA (HVNF1) 16.67
WACISSA (WACF1) 15.17
PERRY (PERF1) 14.81
ASHEVILLE (ASHF1) 13.07
DOWLING PARK (DOUF1) 10.00
NEWTON (NEWG1) 9.62
LURAVILLE (LURF1) 9.14

UNOFFICIAL PUBLIC OBSERVATIONS (STORM TOTAL)

THOMASVILLE .1 N (THROUGH 8/24 8AM) 27.50
TALLAHASSEE 5 E (THROUGH 8/23 5PM) 22.00
TALLAHASSEE (OLD BAINBRIDGE ROAD) (THROUGH 8/24 8AM)13.60
THOMASVILLE 3E (THROUGH 8/24 9AM) 13.50
FSU METEOROLOGY (THROUGH 8/24 1PM) 12.23
MOULTRIE (THROUGH 8/24 NOON) 8.71
DOTHAN 1.8 WNW (THROUGH 8/24 9AM) 4.90
DOTHAN 2 W (THROUGH 8/23 630PM) 4.46