Hurricane Ian brought wind and rain but Sarasota-Manatee spared from major storm surge
Hurricane Ian hit the Sarasota-Manatee county area with sustained winds comparable to a tropical storm and gusts reaching as high as a Category 2 hurricane, according to the most recent post hurricane report from the National Weather Service in Ruskin.
The highest wind gust recorded was 109 mph at Tarpon Point on Sept. 28, and a maximum gust of 106 mph was measured at Sarasota Bay Marker 17. The highest wind gust over land in both Sarasota and Manatee counties was 86 mph at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport on Sept.. 28.
The highest sustained wind at the airport was 61 mph.
A station offshore Venice recorded sustained winds of 81.7 mph, with gusts up to 103.6 mph.
Previously: Devastated by yet another Hurricane, Arcadia rebuilds
And: As Myakka River basin drains, downstream flood danger increases
Tropical storm winds range form 39 to 73 mph; Category 1 hurricane winds range from 74 to 95 mph; Category 2 from 96 to 110 mph; Category 3 form 111 to 129 mph and Category 4 from 130 to 156 mph.
Ian made landfall at 3:05 p.m., Sept. 28 on the island of Cayo Costa in Lee County.
In Charlotte County, the storm packed a more powerful punch than it did in Sarasota and Manatee, with sustained hurricane force winds of 87.5 mph recorded at Punta Gorda Airport, with gusts to 134.6 mph.
While a deadly storm surge led to 10 to a 15-feet peak high water level at Fort Myers Beach, that does not appear to be the case in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties.
The only storm surge reference in the NWS report came in a section regarding coastal Charlotte County that noted, "catastrophic storm surge was just to the south in Lee County associated with the strongest offshore winds."
The report noted that the maximum wind gusts off of Grove City in Charlotte County were 111 mph.
Rodney Wynn, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Ruskin, said the National Hurricane Center will finalize storm surge numbers once all of its teams have reported in.
“They had a storm surge team out the first part of this week, taking measurements for a lot of the areas,” Wynn said. “That will be completed in the final post-term analysis the hurricane center does with every storm.”
About a half-dozen teams are currently surveying Hurricane Ian storm surge.
High river crests lead to inland flooding
The Myakka River at Myakka State Park reached a new record flood stage at 12.8 feet, shortly after midnight, Oct. 1. That, combined with 21.45 inches of rainfall, led to severe flooding in the city of North Port – especially in North Port Estates.
The increased volume of water flooded previously dry areas such as Country Club Ridge, north of the Cocoplum Waterway and east of McKibben Park, and eroded the north bank of the waterway at Water Control Structure 106.
High water in the Myakka River basin contributed to flooding in Myakka City in Manatee County and Hidden River, a subdivision north of Myakka River State Park where floodwaters topped a private levee that protects the community, as well as the area in unincorporated Sarasota County in the vicinity of Border Road and North Jackson Road and South Moon Drive.
The Peace River hit a flood stage of 27.2 feet at Zolfo Springs in Hardee County on Sept. 29, due in part to record rainfall between 15 and 20 inches – with the high amount of 20.13 inches of rain recorded at Zolfo Springs.
As of Friday afternoon, flood warnings were still in effect for both the Myakka and Peace rivers through the weekend.
At 3 p.m. Friday, the Myakka River was at 7.4 feet at Myakka State Park. Flood stage is at 7 feet.
It is anticipated to dip below flood stage Monday afternoon.
Minor flooding is still occurring on the Peace River at Arcadia and State Road 70 and a food warning is expected to remain in place until late Tuesday morning.
Flood stage for the Peace River in Arcadia is 11 feet. At 3:30 p.m. Friday, the river was at 13.29 feet.
Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota-Manatee spared storm surge as inland flooding does damage
