Tropical Storm Gordon
September 4-5, 2018

Tropical Storm Gordon was the 7th named storm during the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the second storm of the season to impact the NWS Mobile/Pensacola county warning area.

More information will be added in the coming months...

Summary of all Local Storm Reports (LSRs) across the area during Tropical Storm Gordon and LSRs across the region during Tropical Storm Gordon.

Below are some of the regional impacts...

Jump to - Rainfall, Wind, Storm Surge, Tornado, Post-Tropical Cyclone Report, or Additional Information sections.

RAINFALL

Gordon's angle of approach to our coastline put much of the area in a favorable location for heavy rainfall. Highest rainfall amounts occurred over northwest Florida coastline, well to the east of where Gordon made landfall. Rainbands persisted across Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in Florida and Baldwin and Clarke Counties in Alabama well after Gordon made landfall. The image below from the NWS Weather Prediction Center shows the preliminary rainfall and track of Tropical Storm Gordon (downgraded to a tropical depression when the image was posted online). The image clearly shows the bulk of the rain fell to the east of the track of Gordon with an axis of high storm total rainfall stretching across our area.

The highest storm total rain (over two days) of 12.45" occurred near Gulf Breeze, FL. Widespread rainfall amounts of 8-12"+ were common across Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in northwest Florida. Across southern Alabama, widespread amounts of 5-8" were observed in Clarke and Baldwin Counties in Alabama. Outside of the axis of heaviest rain, there was generally 4-7" of rainfall across Choctaw, Washington, Escambia, Monroe and Conecuh Counties in Alabama. Further east and west of the main axis of rain, many locations barely received 1" of rain.

Heavy rainfall also lead to rapid rises along the flashier rivers in the area, especially across Baldwin County in AL. The hydrograph from the Styx River near Elsanor rapidly rose above MAJOR flood stage on the evening of September 5th (graph shown below). Another one of the flashier rivers, the Fish River near Silverhill, is pictured below on the left (picture via Baldwin County EMA).

There were numerous reports of flooding and roads washed across coastal and inland areas. The picture to the right is the view of Wiggins Rd in Clarke County, AL which washed out due to flash flooding during Gordon (picture via Clarke County EMA). Several other heavily used dirt roads were washed out in Clarke County, as well. The library at Wilson Hall Middle School in Grove Hill also flooded during Gordon. Several roads in the Pennington area in Choctaw County, AL also experienced flooding and wash outs. The picture below is the view of Ashbury Ln in Escambia County, FL where water rescues took place during Gordon (picture via Escambia County EMA).

A full list of regional rainfall totals are listed in the Post-Tropical Cyclone Report near the bottom of this event webpage.

WIND

The highest winds observed during Tropical Storm Gordon occurred at the coast with gusts up to 78 mph at Fort Morgan, AL (*caution* this observation was taken from 118 feet) and gusts up to 74 mph along the east end of Dauphin Island. 

Strong winds along the coast led to some damage to homes, mainly in the form of roof and siding damage, in the Dauphin Island and Ft Morgan areas. A steeple was blown off a church in Orange Beach, AL. One fatality was reported when a tree fell onto a mobile home in Escambia County, FL. The wind also resulted in pockets of downed trees along the coast. Further inland, the combination of tropical storm force wind gusts and saturated soil resulted in several trees falling across Greene and George Counties in southeast Mississippi. Further east, numerous trees fell in the Jackson and Thomasville communities in Clarke County, AL.

A list of land and marine wind gusts (converted to mph) can be found in the table below.
 

STORM SURGE & COASTAL FLOODING

Due to the timing of high/low tide and landfall of Tropical Storm Gordon, storm surge was not maximized across the coast. Below is a list of the peak inundation ("storm tide") for all tidal gauges across the area during Gordon.

Official NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS tide gauges were used to measure the maximum storm surge and storm tide across the area during Tropical Storm Gordon. Time series plots from several of these NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS tide gauges across coastal Alabama and northwest Florida can be viewed below. 

Storm surge inundation of 2-3 feet along the immediate coastline in Mobile County resulted in the flooding of low lying areas (typical flood spots). The morning after landfall, coastal flooding began to impact many coastal locations along Mobile Bay and the west end of Dauphin Island. The eastbound lanes of the Causeway over Mobile Bay were shut down for several hours due to high water over the road. Coastal flooding also impacted Dauphin Island Parkway north of the Dog River Bridge.

Fort Pickens in Escambia County, FL also experienced significant coastal flooding and beach erosion due to the combination of storm surge and large breaking waves.

Post Tropical Cyclone Report

POST TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT...TROPICAL STORM GORDON...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1024 AM CDT FRI SEP 14 2018

NOTE: THE DATA SHOWN HERE ARE PRELIMINARY....AND SUBJECT TO UPDATES
AND CORRECTIONS AS APPROPRIATE.

THIS REPORT INCLUDES EVENTS OCCURRING WHEN WATCHES AND/OR WARNINGS
WERE IN EFFECT...OR WHEN SIGNIFICANT FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH GORDON
WAS AFFECTING THE AREA.

COUNTIES INCLUDED...BALDWIN...CHOCTAW...CLARKE...CONECUH...
ESCAMBIA AL...ESCAMBIA FL...GEORGE...GREENE...MOBILE...MONROE...
OKALOOSA...PERRY...SANTA ROSA...STONE...WASHINGTON...WAYNE...
WILCOX...CRENSHAW...COVINGTON...BUTLER

SEP 14...UPDATED FOR...ADDITIONAL SURGE INFORMATION. CORRECTION OF
PRESSURE READING AT USA CHILI SITE IN MOBILE. 


A. LOWEST SEA LEVEL PRESSURE/MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS AND PEAK GUSTS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
METAR OBSERVATIONS...
NOTE: ANEMOMETER HEIGHT IS 10 METERS AND WIND AVERAGING IS 2 MINUTES
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION  ID    MIN    DATE/     MAX      DATE/     PEAK    DATE/
LAT  LON        PRES   TIME      SUST     TIME      GUST    TIME
DEG DECIMAL     (MB)   (UTC)   (DIR/KT)   (UTC)   (DIR/KT)  (UTC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
KMOB-MOBILE REGIONAL                                                
30.67 -88.24   1009.6 05/0356   120/034  05/0427   120/050 05/0428  

KPNS-PENSACOLA REGIONAL                                             
30.47 -87.20   1013.7 05/0053   130/030  05/0312   120/045 05/0243  

KJKA-GULF SHORES                                                    
30.29 -87.67   1011.1 05/0035   110/028  05/0215   120/042 05/0155  

KBFM-MOBILE BROOKLEY                                                
30.64 -88.07   1010.5 05/0353   050/031  05/0245   050/045 05/0225  

KNPA-PENSACOLA NAS                                                  
30.36 -87.32   1012.1 05/0002   110/034  05/0244   130/053 05/0147  

KDTS-DESTIN                                                         
30.40 -86.47   1015.2 04/2353   100/015  04/1716   120/028 04/1709  

REMARKS: 


NON-METAR OBSERVATIONS... 
NOTE: ANEMOMETER HEIGHT IN METERS AND WIND AVERAGING PERIOD IN
MINUTES INDICATED UNDER MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND IF KNOWN
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION  ID    MIN    DATE/     MAX      DATE/     PEAK    DATE/
LAT  LON        PRES   TIME      SUST     TIME      GUST    TIME
DEG DECIMAL     (MB)   (UTC)   (DIR/KT)   (UTC)   (DIR/KT)  (UTC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
XBUC-BUCCANEER YACHT CLUB (WEATHERFLOW)                            
30.58 -88.07   1008.1 05/0342   040/039  05/0232   040/050 05/0232  
                                 10   
XGLF-GULF SHORES/FOLEY (WEATHERFLOW)                               
30.36 -87.65   1008.4 04/2349   150/023  05/0324   150/037 05/0324  

XGBZ-GULF BREEZE (WEATHERFLOW)                                     
30.36 -87.16   1010.4 04/2305   100/026  05/0030   100/046 05/0140  

GRAND BAY (USA CHILI)                                              
30.51 -88.37                  I 130/037  05/0414   120/044 05/0418  
                                 10   
AGRICOLA MS (USA CHILI)                                            
30.82 -88.50    998.7 05/0511   050/031  05/0403   060/034 05/0404  
                                 10   
USA CAMPUS (USA CHILI)                                             
30.69 -88.20                    060/033  05/0309   060/036 05/0309  
                                 10   
FOLEY (USA CHILI)                                                  
30.37 -87.65                  I 130/026  05/0335   150/037 05/0532  
                                 10   
REMARKS: 


B. MARINE OBSERVATIONS...
NOTE: ANEMOMETER HEIGHT IN METERS AND WIND AVERAGING PERIOD IN
MINUTES INDICATED UNDER MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND IF KNOWN
---------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION  ID    MIN    DATE/     MAX      DATE/     PEAK    DATE/
LAT  LON        PRES   TIME      SUST     TIME      GUST    TIME
DEG DECIMAL     (MB)   (UTC)   (DIR/KT)   (UTC)   (DIR/KT)  (UTC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
DPIA1-DAUPHIN ISLAND                                                
30.24  -88.07  1006.4 05/0200   120/054  05/0230   120/064 05/0223  
                                   14/10

XFLP - PENSACOLA BAY (WEATHERFLOW)                                  
30.36  -87.21  1010.4 04/2312   060/033  05/0237   050/053 05/0142  


XOFP - OKALOOSA PIER (WEATHERFLOW)                                  
30.39  -86.59  1012.8 04/2310   100/031  05/0350   130/038 05/1300  


42012-12 MILES SOUTH ORANGE BEACH                                   
30.07  -87.56  1008.4 04/2340   999/047  04/2123   999/052 04/2150  
                                   04/01

KATA1-KATRINA CUT                                                   
30.25  -88.21  1000.0 05/0306   999/999          I 050/060 05/0200  


MBLA1-MIDDLE BAY                                                    
30.44  -88.01                 I 999/999          I 130/039 05/1039  


CRTA1-CEDAR POINT                                                   
30.31  -88.14  1003.7 05/05/0   999/999            040/049 05/0210 I
                                   12
REMARKS: 


C. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL FROM 0500 UTC SEP 04 UNTIL 0500 UTC SEP 06
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CITY/TOWN                    COUNTY               ID         RAINFALL
LAT LON                                                       (IN)   
DEG DECIMAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
7 ENE GULF BREEZE            SANTA ROSA          FL-SR-19     12.45  
30.35  -87.20

2 WSW FERRY PASS             ESCAMBIA            FL-ES-51     12.00  
30.51  -87.24

1 ESE BEULAH                 ESCAMBIA            FL-ES-35     11.67  
30.53  -87.39

PENSACOLA INTERNATIONAL      ESCAMBIA            KPNS         11.46  
30.42  -87.19

4 ENE PENSACOLA BEACH        ESCAMBIA            FL-ES-49     10.85  
30.33  -87.14

2 E GONZALEZ                 ESCAMBIA            FL-ES-15     10.85  
30.57  -87.25

2 SW PENSACOLA               ESCAMBIA            FL-ES-48     10.45  
30.39  -87.22

0.8 WSW MILTON               SANTA ROSA          FL-SR-22      9.29  
30.61  -87.04

10.9 N BAY MINETTE           BALDWIN             AL-BW-59      7.89  
31.03  -87.77

1 SE MCINTOSH                WASHINGTON                        7.84  
31.25  -88.02

6.1 SW GROVE HILL            CLARKE              AL-CL-3       7.75  
31.64  -87.85

0.6 ENE LOXLEY               BALDWIN             AL-BW-84      7.60  
30.62  -87.74

4.2 NE DAPHNE                BALDWIN             AL-BW-36      7.39  
30.64  -87.85

SILVERHILL                   BALDWIN                           6.96  
30.54  -87.75

5 WSW FRISCO CITY            MONROE              AL-MN-6       6.70  
31.40  -87.48

PENNINGTON                   CHOCTAW                           6.50  
32.20  -88.06

5 NE ROBERTSDALE             BALDWIN             COOP          6.28  
30.60  -87.65

8.1 W URIAH                  MONROE              AL-MN-3       6.15  
31.30  -87.64

12 W CENTURY                 ESCAMBIA            FL-ES-39      6.14  
30.97  -87.46

3.1 SSW ELBERTA              BALDWIN             AL-BW-53      5.91  
30.37  -87.61

2.1 WNW NAVARRE              SANTA ROSA          FL-SR-12      5.82  
30.42  -86.90

0.5 ESE FOLEY                BALDWIN             AL-BW-9       5.80  
30.40  -87.68

2.1 NE ORANGE BEACH          BALDWIN             AL-BW-27      5.75  
30.32  -87.55

6.3 NW ATMORE                ESCAMBIA            AL-ES-3       5.69  
31.08  -87.57

3.6 WSW PINE HILL            WILCOX              AL-WX-1       5.00  
31.96  -87.64

WHITING FIELD                SANTA ROSA          KNSE          4.88  
30.72  -87.02

3 SW LILLIAN                 BALDWIN                           4.67  
30.38  -87.47

WALNUT HILL                  ESCAMBIA                          4.45  
30.88  -87.51

2 S THOMASVILLE              CLARKE                            4.25  
31.88  -87.74

JACK EDWARDS AIRPORT         BALDWIN             KJKA          4.23  
30.29  -87.67

8.7 WNW TILLMANS CORNER      MOBILE              AL-MB-63      3.44  
30.63  -88.31

3 W MARY ESTHER              OKALOOSA            KHRT          3.33  
30.43  -86.68

CALVERT                      MOBILE                            3.15  
31.15  -88.01

BUTLER                       CHOCTAW                           3.08  
32.08  -88.22

BROOKLEY FIELD AIRPORT       MOBILE              KBFM          2.72  
30.64  -88.07

2 WSW LEAKESVILLE            GREENE                            2.68  
31.14  -88.59

BUCKATUNNA                   WAYNE               COOP          2.57  
31.53  -88.53

MOBILE AIRPORT               MOBILE              KMOB          2.55  
30.68  -88.24

1 ESE MCCLAIN                GREENE              HADS          2.53  
31.10  -88.80

2 NE EGLIN AFB               OKALOOSA            KVPS          2.29  
30.48  -86.53

BREWTON                      ESCAMBIA                          2.19  
31.10  -87.07

1 NNE CAMDEN                 WILCOX              AL-WX-2       2.11  
32.00  -87.28

2 W EVERGREEN MIDDLETON      CONECUH             KGZH          1.73  
31.43  -86.96

1 NNE CRESTVIEW AIRPORT      OKALOOSA            KCEW          1.16  
30.79  -86.52

1 E JANICE                   PERRY               HADS          1.15  
31.02  -89.02

1 NNE GREENVILLE             BUTLER              KPRN          1.13  
31.85  -86.61

FLORALA AIRPORT              COVINGTON           K0J4          1.07  
31.00  -86.33

2 S HIGHLAND HOME            CRENSHAW                          1.00  
31.92  -86.31

REMARKS: MOST RAINFALL REPORTS ARE FOR THE CALENDAR DAYS OF
SEPTEMBER 4TH AND 5TH. COCORAHS AND NWS COOP REPORTS ARE FROM 7AM
SEPTEMBER 4TH TO 7AM SEPTEMBER 6TH. 


D. INLAND FLOODING...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
BALDWIN...5 TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN IMPACTED MUCH OF BALDWIN COUNTY. THE
MAIN IMPACT FROM THE HEAVY RAIN WAS RIVER FLOODING ON THE FISH,
STYX, AND PERDIDO RIVERS. THE STYX RIVER REACH MAJOR FLOOD STAGE
WHILE THE FISH RIVER REACHED MODERATE FLOOD AND THE PERDIDO CLIMBED
TO THE HIGH END OF MINOR FLOOD STAGE. OUTSIDE OF THE RIVER FLOODING,
A FEW ROADS ACROSS THE COUNTY EXPERIENCE FLOODING DUE TO THE HEAVY
RAIN. 

CLARKE...5 TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT FLASH
FLOODING ACROSS CLARKE COUNTY. SEVERAL ROADS WERE FLOODED AND SOME
HEAVILY USED DIRT ROADS WERE WASHED OUT. THE LIBRARY AT WILSON HALL
MIDDLE SCHOOL IN GROVE HILL WAS FLOODED.  

CHOCTAW...4 TO 7 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE
COUNTY. THIS RESULTED IN THE FLOODING OF SEVERAL ROADS, ESPECIALLY
AROUND THE PENNINGTON AREA. A COUPLE OF ROADS EXPERIENCED WASH OUTS. 
ESCAMBIA FL...9 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN IMPACTED A LARGE PORTION OF THE
COUNTY, INCLUDING THE PENSACOLA METRO. SEVERAL ROADS WERE FLOODED
ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF CREEKS AND STREAMS. A WATER
RESCUE WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN U.S. HIGHWAY 90 AND HIGHWAY 97. 

SANTA ROSA...8 TO JUST OVER 12 INCHES OF RAIN WAS REPORTED IN THE
COUNTY. THIS RESULTED IN THE FLOODING OF SOME ROADS ACROSS THE
COUNTY. 


E. MAXIMUM STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE...
OFFICIAL TIDE GAUGES NOTED WITH LEADING G
---------------------------------------------------------------------
COUNTY           CITY/TOWN        SURGE   TIDE   DATE/   BEACH       
                 OR LOCATION      (FT)    (FT)   TIME    EROSION     
---------------------------------------------------------------------
MOBILE         G CHICKASAW CREEK   2.58   2.40  05/1300     NONE   

MOBILE         G USCG SECTOR MOB   3.62   2.95  05/1212     NONE   

MOBILE         G MOBILE STATE DO   2.53   2.60  05/1130     NONE   

MOBILE         G DOG RIVER BRIDG   2.08   2.55  05/1154     NONE   

MOBILE         G W FOWL RIVER BR   2.34   2.18  05/1106     NONE   

MOBILE         G E FOWL RIVER BR   2.63   2.43  05/1118     NONE   

MOBILE         G BAYOU LA BATRE    3.01   2.52  05/0412     NONE   

MOBILE         G DAUPHIN ISLAND    2.88   2.26  05/1154 MODERATE   

BALDWIN        G WEEKS BAY         2.52   2.46  05/1100     NONE   

ESCAMBIA       G PENSACOLA         2.53   2.24  05/0948     NONE   

REMARKS: STORM SURGE REFLECTS THE OBSERVED MINUS PREDICTED LEVELS AT
EACH SITE. 

STORM TIDE READINGS ARE IN REFERENCE TO MEAN HIGHER HIGH WATER (MHHW) 
WHICH IS USED AS AN APPROXIMATION FOR INUNDATION ABOVE NORMALLY DRY 
GROUND.


F. TORNADOES...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(DIST)CITY/TOWN              COUNTY           DATE/         EF SCALE 
LAT LON (DEG DECIMAL                          TIME(UTC)    (IF KNOWN)
DESCRIPTION                                                          
---------------------------------------------------------------------


G. STORM IMPACTS BY COUNTY...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
COUNTY            DEATHS           INJURIES             EVACUATIONS  
DESCRIPTION
---------------------------------------------------------------------
MOBILE               0                 0                          

WIND GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE WERE REPORTED ON DAUPHIN ISLAND WITH
SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS REPORTED AS FAR NORTH AS THE
MOBILE REGIONAL AIRPORT. SOME HOMES ON DAUPHIN ISLAND EXPERIENCED
ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED DOWN TREES AND POWER
OUTAGES WERE REPORTED IN SOUTHERN MOBILE COUNTY. STORM SURGE
INUNDATION OF 2 TO 3 FEET ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST RESULTED IN THE
FLOODING OF FLOOD PRONE ROADWAYS, SUCH AS THE US 90 CAUSEWAY AND THE
DAUPHIN ISLAND CAUSEWAY. THE WEST END OF DAUPHIN ISLAND EXPERIENCED
COASTAL FLOODING AS WELL. 

BALDWIN              0                 0                          

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS, PRIMARILY IN GUSTS, IMPACTED AREAS OF
BALDWIN COUNTY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 10 WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS ALONG
THE IMMEDIATE COAST. STRONG TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WERE FELT ON
THE FT. MORGAN PENINSULA WHERE A FEW HOMES SUFFERED SOME SIDING OR
ROOF DAMAGE. THE STEEPLE WAS BLOWN OFF OF THE ROMAR BEACH BAPTIST
CHURCH IN ORANGE BEACH. SOME TREES WERE DOWNED AND SCATTERED POWER
OUTAGES WERE REPORTED. 

ESCAMBIA FL          1                 0                          

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS IMPACTED THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE
COUNTY, ESPECIALLY IN THE PENSACOLA METRO AND THE IMMEDIATE COAST.
SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WERE REPORTED AT PENSACOLA NAS.
ONE FATALITY WAS REPORTED WHEN A TREE FELL ONTO A MOBILE HOME AND
KILLED A SMALL CHILD. THE FORT PICKENS AREA EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT
COASTAL FLOODING AND BEACH EROSION DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF SOME
STORM SURGE AND LARGE BREAKING WAVES. 

SANTA ROSA           0                 0                          

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS IMPACTED THE COASTAL SECTIONS OF
SANTA ROSA COUNTY. 

CLARKE               0                 0                          

THE COMBINATION OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS AND SATURATED
SOILS RESULTED IN NUMEROUS TREES BEING DOWNED ACROSS CLARKE COUNTY,
PARTICULARLY IN THE JACKSON AND THOMASVILLE AREAS. IN THOMASVILLE, A
TREE FELL ONTO A GARAGE, CRUSHING A VEHICLE. 

GEORGE               0                 0                          

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS RESULTED IN SOME DOWNED TREES,
PARTICULARLY IN THE MERRILL AREA WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE
REPORTED BLOWN DOWN. 

GREENE               0                 0                          

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS RESULTED IN THE DOWNING OF SOME
TREES ACROSS GREENE COUNTY. ONE HOME IN RICHTON WAS SIGNIFICANTLY
DAMAGED WHEN A LARGE TREE FELL ON IT. 

$$

LEGEND:
I-INCOMPLETE DATA
E-ESTIMATED

JASON BEAMAN

Link to the PSH product online
 

---

Additional Information

NHC Advisory Archive

WPC Archive

NHC Tropical Cyclone Report - Tropical Storm Gordon 

NOAA Tides & Currents - Highest Storm Water Levels (not available yet)

NOAA Tides & Currents - Archived Storm QuickLooks

National Geodetic Survey Emergency Response Imagery

NWS Local Write-Ups and Webpages:
     NWS New Orleans
     NWS Jackson
​     NWS Birmingham

 

---

Acknowledgements: Page created by Morgan Barry (forecaster). 

LAST UPDATED: April 2019