Storm Surge

The Category 3 storm was predicted to cause catastrophic damage from wind and storm surge across Florida's west coast. While it was not as bad as originally forecast, photos from around the region show the destruction it did cause.

In the days before Hurricane Milton hit Florida, forecasters worried it could send as much as 15 feet of water rushing onto the heavily populated shores of Tampa Bay. Instead, several feet of water temporarily drained away. The phenomenon is sometimes called “reverse storm surge.”

Florida communities near Tampa Bay were devastated when Hurricane Helene made landfall two weeks ago about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north. Now Milton is forecast to make a direct hit on the low-lying region that has a population of more than 3.3 million people. That means as bad as Helene was, Milton could be much deadlier and destructive.

While the property damage was mostly unavoidable, there didn’t have to be any deaths — the National Hurricane Center issued its first storm surge warning two days before Helene arrived, telling the barrier islands' residents they should pack up and get out.

Official storm surge data could take several weeks to be released. Preliminary data from tidal gauges from Clearwater to Venice show Hurricane Helene generated record water levels.

Storm surge is a bigger killer than wind when a major hurricane hits shore.

Officials in Pinellas have been working on renourishing and recovering its shoreline after Hurricane Idalia's wrath last year, but it's expected to take another beating by Helene.

Although Helene could potentially bring up to 8 feet of storm surge for Tampa Bay, the storm's quick pace may actually limit the amount of rainfall. There could be up to 15 feet of storm surge for the Panhandle.

Rescue crews will return to help residents in the most heavily impacted areas in Sarasota.

A final Back Bay plan worked out between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Miami-Dade County is scheduled for June, with the hope of getting it authorized in the 2024 national water resources legislation now being hammered out by Congress.

The Category 3 storm killed a dozen people and likely cost the United States more than $3 billion.

The historically black community in Manatee County has experienced persistent flooding for years. The August hurricane brought more than three feet of storm surge to the neighborhood.