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Heat Wave Expands to the East Coast; Flash Flooding Likely in the Central Plains into the Midwest; Severe Thunderstorms in the Northeast

Dangerous, prolonged heat is ongoing in the Mid-South to Mid-Mississippi Valley and heat expands into the Northeast for a brief period today. Widely scattered instances of flash flooding due to heavy rains are forecast from northeast Kansas to much of Indiana. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of New England, northern Mid-Atlantic, and North Dakota. Read More >

 
Collier County Heavy Rain-Flood
September 29, 2003
 

      On September 29, 2003, a cold front stalled over central Florida…as a tropical disturbance moved from the southwest Caribbean Sea into the Southern Gulf of America. This set up a southwest flow over southern Florida, and allowed for deep tropical moisture to move into south Florida from the Caribbean and southern Gulf of America.

      Rainfall amounts between 4 inches to 8 inches fell across Collier County. But western Collier County got the heaviest of the rainfall with locally 8 to 10 inches. Marco Island received 8.10 inches of rainfall, Bonita Springs received 5.00 inches of rainfall, and Naples set an all time daily rainfall record of 6.93 inches.

      By early afternoon, Collier County Emergency Management Officials were asking everyone in the western Collier County to stay off the roads if they did not absolutely have to travel as canals were swelling and spilling over their banks, several roads were closed, and houses were starting to flood. There were also reports of people surfing in the streets in the Naples region of Western Collier County.

      By evening, most of the rainfall had ended over Collier County…but it took until late Tuesday (September 30, 2003) to get the streets and back yards of houses to dry out.


Baxter (National Weather Service, Miami Florida)