Now-Tropical Storm Alex only brought 1-3 inches of rain, 48-mph wind gust to Space Coast
Flash flooding swamped and submerged vehicles on Miami streets. Vero Beach got drenched with nearly 8 inches of record-breaking rainfall.
But along the Space Coast, this weekend's disorganized storm system — which has finally strengthened to Tropical Storm Alex — brought little more than typical summertime precipitation.
Two-day rainfall totals from Friday and Saturday reached 3.5 inches in Grant, 2.9 inches in Palm Bay and 1.5 inches at Melbourne Orlando International Airport, said Cassie Leahy, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
"Just kind of about 3 inches down in southern Brevard County. But once you get into Indian River County, you had 3 to 4 — even up to 7 inches down there as you go further south," Leahy said.
In terms of wind, a squall produced a 48-mph gust at 12:06 p.m. Saturday at an Indian River Lagoon channel marker near Barefoot Bay, Leahy said.
A 44-mph gust was also recorded near Sebastian Inlet. By 5 p.m. Saturday, NWS officials canceled Brevard County's tropical storm warning and flood watch.
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U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft continue to investigate Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As of 5 p.m. Sunday, the storm was well offshore and tracking to the east-northeast at 28 mph, about 395 miles west-southwest of Bermuda.
Alex's maximum sustained winds clocked in at 65 mph with higher gusts at 5 p.m. Sunday, up from 50 mph at 8 a.m. and 60 mph at 11 a.m. Meteorologists expect Alex to generate 2 to 3 inches of rain across Bermuda through Monday, where a tropical storm warning is in effect.
Regardless of the light local impact of now-Tropical Storm Alex, Leahy warned Space Coast residents to pay heed to future storm forecasts this season.
“Floodwaters entering your houses can be just as impactful as a heavy windstorm. We really try and focus on the hazards associated with tropical systems, not just the wind speeds — which is unfortunately how we quantify them: tropical storm, Cat 1 hurricane or whatever," Leahy said.
"That doesn't take into account the flooding, rainfall, storm surge or even tornadoes. So anytime that there's a tropical system, it's worth watching," she said.
Forecasters warn boaters that Alex continues to churn hazardous marine conditions, with buoy observations showing seas of 7 to 9 feet from Cape Canaveral south to St. Lucie Inlet.
A moderate risk of rip currents continues at Brevard beaches. Monday's forecast calls for mostly sunny skies, a high near 87, and a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Tropical Storm Alex brought 1-3 inches of rain, 48-mph wind Space Coast
