Fay (2008)

A tropical wave that left Africa on 6 August developed into a tropical depression just west of Puerto Rico at 1200 UTC 15 August 2008. The system moved westward across the northern Caribbean, becoming Tropical Storm Fay that evening. Fay tracked across Hispaniola, the Windward Passage, and the southern coast of Cuba, then crossed the Straits of Florida into South Florida. It moved slowly across the Florida peninsula and the northeastern Gulf, then across the Florida Panhandle and into the Deep South, weakening to a depression and finally becoming extratropical over eastern Tennessee on 27 August.

Fay made eight total landfalls. In the Caribbean it struck near El Cabo, Dominican Republic on 15 August (tropical storm strength), and along eastern Gonavé Island, Haiti on 16 August (tropical storm). It hit the south-central coast of Cuba near 20 n mi east of Cabo Cruz on 17 August and again near 20 n mi west of Cienfuegos on 18 August, both as a tropical storm. In the United States Fay made landfalls near Key West, Florida on 18 August, near Cape Romano/Everglades City (southwestern Florida) on 19 August, near Flagler Beach on 21 August, and just southwest of Carrabelle in the Florida panhandle on 23 August; U.S. landfalls were all at tropical storm intensity.

The storm’s peak intensity was estimated at 60 knots (about 69 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 986 mb, reached around 1800 UTC 19 August as the center moved near the western end of Lake Okeechobee. Fay never reached hurricane strength in the official record.

Storm surge was generally modest: mostly 1–2 ft along South Florida with up to 3–5 ft near Everglades City, and 2–4 ft along parts of the northeast Florida coast. Rainfall was the major hazard: extreme totals included 27.65 inches near Melbourne, Florida and 27.50 inches at Thomasville, Georgia. Other large totals included 18.23 inches at Agabama, Cuba; widespread amounts over 20 inches in parts of east‑central Florida (notably Brevard County); and numerous locations in Cuba and the Dominican Republic exceeding 10 inches.

Thirteen direct deaths were attributed to Fay (5 in the Dominican Republic, 5 in Florida, and 3 in Haiti), plus eight indirect deaths mainly from vehicle hydroplaning. Flooding from heavy rain caused the greatest damage—more than 2,400 homes damaged or destroyed in the Dominican Republic, extensive floods on Gonavé Island in Haiti, and over 15,000 homes flooded in Florida. Insured U.S. losses were about $245 million; total U.S. damage was estimated near $560 million.

Notable aspects: Fay produced a rare four Florida landfalls (a record) and eight overall landfalls; it generated 81 tornadoes across five U.S. states (mostly weak EF0s, but some up to EF2); and forecasters performed better than average on both track and intensity, with the official forecasts having lower-than-normal errors for this storm.