Hurricane Fay

August 21, 2008: Tropical Storm Fay made its third landfall in the state of Florida, crossing the coastline between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach. The storm continued to produce sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. Many areas were expecting up to 30 inches of rain from the storm.¹

Fast Facts

1. August 20, 2008: At 8 a.m. EST, Tropical Storm Fay was centered very near Cape Canaveral, Florida²
2. Storm was moving toward the north near 5 miles per hour²
3. Maximum sustained winds were around 45 miles per hour, with higher gusts²
4. August 20, 2008: Forecasters said Fay would likely hug Florida's Atlantic coastline throughout the day³
5. Tropical Storm Fay made its first landfall near Key West, Florida around 3 p.m. EST on August 18, 2008⁴
6. Storm made a second landfall near Marco Island, Florida on August 19, 2008⁵
7. August 19, 2008: Tens of thousands people were without power within 20 counties in southern Florida
8. August 19, 2008: A hurricane watch was issued for the east coast of Florida, from north of Flagler Beach to Altamaha Sound including Lake Okeechobee
9. Tropical Storm Fay killed at least five people as it moved across the Dominican Republic and Haiti⁶
10. Fay is the sixth tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic storm season⁷
11. Fay dumped several inches of rain on Hispaniola, eastern and central Cuba, Jamaica and the northern Cayman Islands⁸
12. Florida Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency for Florida on August 16, 2008⁹
13. Dolly was the first Atlantic Ocean hurricane of 2008

State of Emergency

On August 20, 2008, Florida governor Charlie Crist warned that Tropical Storm Fay was about to hit the state again, and could dump over 30 inches of rain in what he described as a "serious catastrophic flooding event." Crist requested an emergency declaration from President George W. Bush.

Florida Landfall

Tropical Storm Fay made landfall early on the morning of August 19, 2008, just south of Marco Island, Florida. Parts of south Florida reported major power outages as a result of the tropical storm, particularly in the Naples area.⁵ At least seven possible tornadoes were spotted within eastern Florida as Tropical Storm Fay made its way across the state.^{10 3}

Hurricane Warning Definition

The National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning "when sustained winds 64 kt (74 mph or 119 km/hr) or higher associated with a hurricane are expected in a specified coastal area in 24 hours or less. A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continue, even though winds may be less than hurricane force."¹¹

Related Pages on Mahalo

Hurricane Fay Projected Path | Tropical Storm Fay | Hurricane Dolly 2008 | Hurricanes | Florida | Cuba | Turks and Caicos | Bahamas | Atlantic Ocean | Puerto Rico | Tropical Storm Edouard | Tropical Storm Dolly | Tropical Storm Cristobal | Tropical Storm Alma | Hurricane Bertha | Floods | Storm Chasing | Hurricane Paloma

Categories