UPDATE: The NWS reports 21.70" Of Rain From Tropical Storm Fay at one spot.

UPDATE: In looking more in-depth at the rainfall data, there are hidden amounts (in the NWS Gauge-Adjusted 7am 24-hour rainfall data) as high as 14.02" shown to the southwest of Lake Okeechobee, and 13.08" southeast of Orlando. These amounts are not obvious when looking at the AccuWeather.com version of the data (shown below) or the NWS version (shown here).

The latest amounts from the South Florida Water Management District indicate a maximum 24-hour rainfall of 10.37" at SAVANNAS PRESERVE, south of Cape Canaveral on the "bullseye" on the SFWMD map below. The HPC, which usually lists rain amounts, has not yet issued a report on Fay's rainfall.

ORIGINAL POST:

Here is some video showing the scenes of flooding and high winds across Florida yesterday, courtesy ABC's Good Morning America (through ABCNewsOne).

NOTE: VIDEO MAY HAVE ADS; VIDEOS NOT AVAILABLE ON WIRELESS DEVICES

VIDEO CAPTION: Now to Tropical Storm Fay which battered central Florida Tuesday with 65-mile-per-hour winds WITH SOME GUSTS UP TO HURRICANE STRENGTH... and drenching rains... And it may not be over yet... As Fay heads out over the Atlantic this morning, computer models of the storm are suggesting it could gather strength SLAM RIGHT BACK INTO THE FLORIDA COAST. ABC's Jeffrey Kofman is in Sebastian, Florida with the latest.

LIVE SATELLITE OF "FAY" | PREMIUM | PRO

The storm looks so weak this morning I'm not too concerned about it "slamming" back into anything, though it depends how much time it spends over the warm Atlantic. Right now (9 AM) it's nearly stationary over NASA's Cape Canaveral facility east of Orlando (in fact, if it weren't for that pesky piece of land that sticks out there, she'd be out over the ocean).

The truth is, though, it has dropped some incredible rainfall amounts, due in part to that slow movement. Up to 18 inches have fallen offshore, with more than a foot north and west of Miami, according to the Miami Radar (see above). Of course, these are estimated amounts and the gauge-adjusted amounts from the NWS show that a foot of rain only fell in the Keys, with 6-8" inland. ** SEE NOTE ABOVE ** You can also download* various radar loops showing Fay's progress here.

STORM TOTAL PRECIP (MIAMI RADAR) - CLICK TO ENLARGE & SEE MORE CITIES

This is our forecast for additional rainfall:

ARE YOU FROM FLORIDA? Let me know what you're experiencing by leaving a Comment below and posting on the AccuWeather.com Forums Tropical Storm Fay thread. Upload your pictures of the storm to the AccuWeather.com Photo Gallery.

Fay Does Damage - Aug. 19, 2008 - Roofs were ripped off two barns at the Palm Beach Equine Sports Complex from high winds brought by Tropical Storm Fay in Wellington, Fla. on Tuesday, August 19, 2008. Flooding remained a concern as Fay heads up the Florida peninsula, with rainfall amounts forecast between 5 and 10 inches. The storm could also push tides 1 to 3 feet above normal and spawn tornadoes. (AP Photo/Jon Way)

Share this:

UPDATE: A tornado has been reported at Barefoot Bay, injuring three people, bringing today's tornado reports to five. According to via MESOWEST (The Government Mesonet), several stations are currently gusting near 50 mph as Tropical Storm Fay moves over Central Florida. But on Lake Okeechobee, it's a different story. South Florida Water Management District stations showed 65 mph gusts in the center of the lake, with 79 mph gusts on the west end (this data is only available on the old version of the MADIS data page, not on MesoWest). UPDATE: I have contacted MesoWest and they expect the data to be online soon.

Our forecast track now has her going out in the Atlantic briefly, as does The NHC [JessePedia], but they turn her west sooner. The screenshot below is from our Google Hurricane Tracker.

LIVE SATELLITE OF "FAY" | PREMIUM | PRO

Share this:

Here's a quick shot from AccuWeather.com RadarPlus of Tropical Storm Fay at 8 AM... she is looking pretty good, considering she's over land, with a well-defined eye (on radar, but not satellite). Download* radar loop here - she has really organized over the last two hours.

CHAT ABOUT THE TROPICAL STORMS with other weather enthusiasts!

Now the question is, where will she move? Below is the latest Model Spread [JessePedia]. Some models say she could move into the Gulf again, but most agree that she will meander in the Southeast, providing additional flooding and drought relief as I mentioned yesterday.

Here's the latest guess on 1-week rainfall from the GFS Forecast Model [JessePedia]. It still sees a foot for Northeast Florida but has backed off the foot it had in the Panhandle yesterday.

Below is the latest "Breaking News" update from AccuWeather.com. When Jim Kosek files new on-location footage, it will appear there.

*Quicktime required. "Save Target As" required for IE.

Share this:

One of our own, blogger Paul Yeager is retiring* from the weather game after being a meteorologist at AccuWeather for 23 years and wrote a blog here for the past several, while filling the position of Chief Editor for AccuWeather.com. Outside of AccuWeather, Paul had recently published a book called "Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again." He's quite the grammar affectionado, and will continue to blog about proper grammar on his website.

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SETS!
PAUL'S PHOTO IS ON MY BLOG!

Since Paul had been at AccuWeather for so long, I took part of his last day at AccuWeather to interview him on the changes he's seen in the weather game over the years:

JESSE: So what was it like working at AccuWeather in 1985?

PAUL: It was my first job, just out of college in 1985, and looking back, I'm amazed at how little I knew about weather forecasting. It was a little intimidating working around so many excellent forecasters when my skills were so rudimentary. The graduates of today are much better forecasters early in their career because of things like the modern advantages, such as more computer models, Internet access at school and at home, etc. I was very inexperienced as a forecaster.

JESSE: How was making a forecast then different than making one today?

PAUL: It was drastically different. Computer models were extremely limited, satellite images were printed off of a machine and hung in front of us, one of our best long-range forecasting tools was waiting for someone at the NWS to hand draw a 3 to 5 day surface chart, and Doppler Radar was merely a dream of someone.

JESSE: What computer forecast model(s) did they have then?

PAUL: If I remember correctly (and the memory is the first thing to go), we had the LFM and a 60-hour and 72-hour spectral (I think that was what it was called!). It was an exciting day that the NGM came along and replaced the LFM. Jesse can give the readers more details on those models, but if we want to compare them to cars, I'd say that it was like improving from a Pinto to an Escort.

JESSE: What computer equipment did AccuWeather have?

PAUL: Most of us had a terminal that was connected to the main accuweather computer system, which housed our data base, and that was about it. It was before the Internet, of course, and we actually typed many of our forecasts (for radio stations, television stations, etc.) on typewriters. I was (and Jesse can attest to the fact that I still am to some degree) not the best with technical equipment--I even needed help with changing the correcto ribbon on the typewriters.

JESSE: What are some of your favorite experiences from your years at AccuWeather?

PAUL: That's a difficult question because there have been so many in 23 years, and I'd have to say that the best part was the people that I met. I know that sounds trite to some degree, but it's true. I've had the pleasure of working with countless excellent forecasters over the years, many of whom are still my friends, and for the last two years, I've worked with the AccuWeather.com team, including Jesse, and that's been a pleasure.

JESSE: Were there clients that you served during all or most of your time here?

PAUL: I've served more clients than I could possibly count, but many of my years my main duties involved the creation of newspaper forecasts and serving West Coast clients. I've also done quite a bit of radio work over the years, which is always fun, and assisted many weather presenters with their forecast information. Somewhere along the line, though, I've probably issued at least one forecast for nearly every type of client AccuWeather has.

Paul's last blog entry read:

"I've been a meteorologist for 23 years, including the last couple of years when I've been associated with AccuWeather.com, and it's time for a change. That's right -- I'm hanging up my barometer and starting a new career. This is, in fact, my last post.

I have enjoyed every minute that I've spent on the blog these past three years. I've made a few e-mail friends and received a tremendous amount of positive feedback. I even appreciated the honest criticism for those rare (very rare, I might add) occasions when I've been wrong. It's been a pleasure. Thanks for reading!"

*P.S.: He's not retiring (literally) - just moving on to a new career.

Share this: