Historic Hazard Events

The 2024 hurricane season brought repeated impacts to St. Johns County, beginning with Tropical Storm Debby in August. Although Debby made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, sustain tropical storm-force winds were observed in portions of St. Johns County.  

Just seven weeks later, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Despite the storm center remaining hundreds of miles away, St. Johns County experienced coastal flooding, beach erosion, heavy rain, and strong winds. The storm further weakened dunes and stressed already vulnerable coastal infrastructure. 

Three weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key as a Category 3 and exited near Cape Canaveral as a Category 1. Upon exiting, Milton interacted with a passing front and transformed into a system with extra-tropical characteristics causing stronger, onshore winds on the north side of the storm. St. Johns County recorded wind gusts as high as 70 mph at the Ponte Vedra Fire Station and sustained winds of 40-65 throughout the county. Rainfall totals ahead of Milton and through the storm’s departure totaled between 9-15 inches. Flooding occurred in Hastings and Flagler Estates. The USGS River Gauge on Deep Creek in Spuds reached a new record high. 

St. Johns County experienced two tornadoes, in two separate events. On May 3rd, a tornado touched down in the Beacon Lake neighborhood off CR-210. The tornado caused damage to roofs, fences, and patio furniture with winds up to 70 to 80 mph at its peak along a path measuring one-quarter of a mile and up to 125 yards wide.

On May 11th, a tornado occurred just east of the St. Johns River, then traveled northeast though the TrailMark and Samara Lakes neighborhoods. The tornado had estimated peak winds of 100 mph with a path 6.7 miles long and 310 yards wide as it swept through around 11:33 a.m. Shingles were ripped off, soffits and fences damaged, and some windows were broken.

Hurricane Ian was a large tropical cyclone that made landfall on September 28, 2022, in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa as a strong Category 4. Ian thrashed parts of Florida’s western coast, bringing intense winds, heavy rainfall, and catastrophic storm surges. A storm surge with an inundation of an unprecedented 12 to 18 feet above ground level was reported along the southwestern Florida coast. Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm September 29th as it tracked inland, crossing over the Florida peninsula leaving a pathway of excessive rainfall. Storm surge and heavy rainfall flooding began in downtown St. Augustine on the morning of September 29th. Ian flooded several areas of the county including Davis Shores, Butler Beach, Treasure Beach, and North Beach. Surge inundation reached levels near that of Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and beaches were severely eroded. Rainfall amounts between September 28th and 30th totaled just over 16 inches in portions of the county. There was an estimated $37.8 million in losses caused to residential property. Damage assessment teams found 380 affected structures, 223 with minor damage, and 33 structures with major damage. 

On Tuesday, November 8th, just six weeks after Hurricane Ian impacted the area, Tropical Storm Nicole formed. Nicole continued to intensify into a Category 1 Hurricane after making landfall in the northern Bahamas. The storm then made landfall along the Florida east coast near Vero Beach during the early morning hours of November 10th. Substantial impacts were felt along the east coast of the state as hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall, and high surf battered the region of the coastline still reeling from Hurricane Ian. 

Locally, Nicole added to the erosion of the beach and dunes from Ian. A majority of the areas flooded from Hurricane Ian received a second round of flooding. State Road A1A in South Ponte Vedra Beach was washed out and residents became stranded when they attempted to evacuate as flood waters began to rise. Areas heavily impacted include Davis Shores, Summer Haven, Butler Beach, Treasure Beach, North Beach, Vilano Beach, Porpoise Point, and Roscoe Boulevard. In total, there was an estimated $34.1 million in losses from structures classified as either affected (319), minor (177), or major (20). 

Passing only about 30 miles east of St. Johns County, Hurricane Matthew produced one of the most severe flooding events since Dora. Storm surge between 2 and 7 feet inundated coastal communities and portions of the St. Johns River basin. Winds gusted to 86 mph, thousands of trees were downed, and widespread power outages affected residents throughout the county. Coastal erosion and damage to homes and infrastructure were extensive, particularly in St. Augustine, Vilano Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach. 

Hurricane Irma passed to the west of St. Johns County on September 10, 2017, as a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane force wind gusts and sustained tropical storm force winds throughout the county resulted in significant power outages and tree damage. Hurricane Irma produced significant storm surge flooding along both the Atlantic coast and St. Johns River. According to the NWS Jacksonville the highest recorded wind speed was 65 mph with gusts to 78 mph. Storm surge flooding along the Atlantic coast ranged from 1-4 feet above ground level, and 1-4 feet along the St. Johns River. Heavy rainfall of between 8-10 inches was recorded across St. Johns County and its municipalities. Irma also produced two tornadoes- one which caused significant damage to a condo complex in Crescent Beach. 

Tropical Storm Fay crossed Florida multiple times and brought prolonged periods of heavy rain to Northeast Florida. St. Johns County experienced flooding in low-lying areas and along portions of the St. Johns River basin as saturated ground and swollen waterways persisted well after the storm passed. Fay highlighted the county’s vulnerability to freshwater flooding, demonstrating that tropical storms can create significant impacts without hurricane-force winds. 

Although centered over the Gulf Coast, Tropical Storm Debby in June 2012 produced several days of rain and elevated water levels across Northeast Florida. Flooding affected portions of the St. Johns River basin and low-lying roadways, while persistent onshore flow contributed to minor coastal erosion. Debby reinforced the growing concern over inland and riverine flooding within St. Johns County after receiving 3-7 inches of rain from Debby. 

The 2004 hurricane season brought three significant storms that affected St. Johns County and much of Florida in rapid succession. On August 13^th, Hurricane Charley cut a path of destruction through several communities in southwest Florida including Port Charlotte, Lakeland, Orlando and Daytona Beach.  Its winds had decreased to 75 mph by the time it emerged in the Atlantic.  Charley was close enough to cause power outages from strong tropical storm force wind gusts. Charley only produced a manageable 2-4 inches of rain locally. 

Just weeks later, Hurricane Frances moved slowly across the peninsula, bringing prolonged tropical-storm-force winds, heavy rainfall, and beach erosion. St. Johns County received 5-10 inches of rain and four weak (F0) tornadoes.  

In late September, before communities had fully recovered, Hurricane Jeanne made landfall in southeast Florida, following nearly the same track as Frances, St. Johns County received 1-3 inches of rain. The back-to-back storms saturated soils, weakened dunes, and stressed infrastructure throughout the county. 

Hurricane Floyd skirted parallel to the coastline as a massive Category 4 storm on September 15, 1999. Its close passage offshore brought tropical storm-force winds gusting over 60 mph, which snapped trees, damaged roofs, and left thousands of homes without power from Ponte Vedra down to St. Augustine. The area received 6–8 inches of rain and 5-6 feet of storm surge. Beaches and dunes suffered damage, highlighting the county’s vulnerability from storms that remain offshore.

In the summer of 1998, St. Johns County was one of several northeast Florida communities impacted by one of the state’s most destructive wildfire seasons. The fires, many started by lightning strikes after weeks of unusually dry conditions, spread rapidly across the region. As conditions worsened, smoke and active fire forced repeated closures of I-95, disrupting travel and threatening communities throughout northeast Florida. At one point, fire behavior models showed the potential for multiple fires to merge into a single massive wildfire stretching from Daytona Beach to St. Augustine. While neighboring Flagler County ordered a countywide evacuation, St. Johns County also faced significant threats from advancing fires and hazardous smoke conditions. Approximately 12,842 acres burned but no homes were lost. Relief finally came in early July as increased rainfall and humidity helped firefighters gain control. By the time the wildfire season ended, more than 2,000 fires had burned nearly 500,000 acres across Florida, making it one of the largest and most challenging wildfire events in the state’s history.

Hurricane Dora remains the most recent hurricane to make landfall in St. Johns County and is considered one of the most destructive storms in local history. Winds near 110 mph and storm surge approaching 10 feet inundated downtown St. Augustine, Davis Shores, and waterfront areas. Winds unroofed some homes and downed giant, centuries old oak trees. Floodwaters surrounded the Castillo de San Marcos, damaged the St. Augustine Beach pier, and damaged more than 1,000 homes countywide. Extensive erosion occurred along A1A, and much of the county lost power. Dora caused more than $30 million dollars in damage.