Fay delivers Florida rain-dancers' plea -- and then some
Fay delivers Florida rain-dancers' plea -- and then some
One can't help but think about the phrase, "Be careful of what you ask for, and how you ask for it, for indeed you will get it," when one thinks of Tropical Storm Fay.
People in Florida, especially those located from Lake Okeechobee south, have been praying for rain for two years to ease the serious, sometimes critical, drought conditions the area has suffered. What they didn't necessarily want, however, was for about a year's worth of rain to fall in a few scant days.
But that's exactly what Tropical Storm Fay has done.
As of Friday, Aug. 22, Tropical Storm Fay had slammed into Florida three times since the previous Monday when it hit the Florida Keys. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, it came ashore in southwest Florida, then headed northwest, dumping up to 24 inches of rain in some areas on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, Aug. 21, the storm headed back over the Atlantic Ocean, but with its backside still playing havoc on the Florida coast. It was then met by a weather front causing it to stop, turn and head back to Florida once again. The full storm came ashore in the Jacksonville area on Thursday.
As of Thursday afternoon, many fruit and vegetable growers in south Florida had not yet been able to enter their fields to assess exact damage caused by winds and rain. But minimal damage to produce crops is expected because of the time of year. Fields, for the most part, are in the early process of being prepared for the fall crops, and very few plants are in the ground.
Fears were great, however, about possible wind damage to expensive planting materials like plastics, fertilizers and fumigants. Some growers said things were "soggy," but water was expected to drain quickly. Beneath the fears of possible damage, people also said they were grateful for the rainfall.
Concerns were growing about potential damage to northern-Florida crops as the storm inched north, however.
On Thursday afternoon, Lisa Lochridge, director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association in Maitland, FL, told The Produce News, "The wind and rains headed for north Florida could pose a big problem tonight and tomorrow for the Quincy tomato-growing region. They have already planted fall crops. As far as south Florida, I don't have specific damage estimates. In general terms, some sugar cane was blown down, and tomato growers had plastic mulch damaged by the wind. The problem is they are getting more rain dumped on them today, and that could pose a big problem. The fact that Fay has basically slowed to a crawl is exacerbating the situation."
On its 5 a.m. Friday forecast, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service reported that satellite, radar and surface observations showed little change in the structure of Fay during the previous several hours. The strongest winds were 50 mph, and higher in the strongest rainbands. A slight decrease in intensity was expected throughout Friday.
"We know of a 300-acre tomato farm that got washed out," said Liz Compton, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services in Tallahassee, FL. "Some sugar cane loss was reported, but we do not have numbers yet. The citrus concern is not from wind but from standing water that can cause root rot. It will take at least a week or two to assess that impact."
Ms. Compton added that two tropical fish farms in Brevard lost 100 percent of their fish stock due to flooding.
The apparent major problem resulting from Fay is the huge amounts of rainfall due to its slow movement. The 5 a.m. Friday forecast indicated that Fay would continue to move slowly for the next 48 to 72 hours. The system was expected to move along the northern Gulf Coast as a minimal tropical storm. If the storm moves to the right of the forecast track, it will move inland earlier and weaken faster. If it moves left, over open water, however, it could get stronger than forecast.
Regardless of its exact track, Fay was expected to move slowly during the next several days, posing a significant heavy rainfall and flood hazard to a very large area far inland. Its expected path includes the Florida panhandle, the southwest corner of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
People in Florida, especially those located from Lake Okeechobee south, have been praying for rain for two years to ease the serious, sometimes critical, drought conditions the area has suffered. What they didn't necessarily want, however, was for about a year's worth of rain to fall in a few scant days.
But that's exactly what Tropical Storm Fay has done.
As of Friday, Aug. 22, Tropical Storm Fay had slammed into Florida three times since the previous Monday when it hit the Florida Keys. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, it came ashore in southwest Florida, then headed northwest, dumping up to 24 inches of rain in some areas on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, Aug. 21, the storm headed back over the Atlantic Ocean, but with its backside still playing havoc on the Florida coast. It was then met by a weather front causing it to stop, turn and head back to Florida once again. The full storm came ashore in the Jacksonville area on Thursday.
As of Thursday afternoon, many fruit and vegetable growers in south Florida had not yet been able to enter their fields to assess exact damage caused by winds and rain. But minimal damage to produce crops is expected because of the time of year. Fields, for the most part, are in the early process of being prepared for the fall crops, and very few plants are in the ground.
Fears were great, however, about possible wind damage to expensive planting materials like plastics, fertilizers and fumigants. Some growers said things were "soggy," but water was expected to drain quickly. Beneath the fears of possible damage, people also said they were grateful for the rainfall.
Concerns were growing about potential damage to northern-Florida crops as the storm inched north, however.
On Thursday afternoon, Lisa Lochridge, director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association in Maitland, FL, told The Produce News, "The wind and rains headed for north Florida could pose a big problem tonight and tomorrow for the Quincy tomato-growing region. They have already planted fall crops. As far as south Florida, I don't have specific damage estimates. In general terms, some sugar cane was blown down, and tomato growers had plastic mulch damaged by the wind. The problem is they are getting more rain dumped on them today, and that could pose a big problem. The fact that Fay has basically slowed to a crawl is exacerbating the situation."
On its 5 a.m. Friday forecast, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service reported that satellite, radar and surface observations showed little change in the structure of Fay during the previous several hours. The strongest winds were 50 mph, and higher in the strongest rainbands. A slight decrease in intensity was expected throughout Friday.
"We know of a 300-acre tomato farm that got washed out," said Liz Compton, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services in Tallahassee, FL. "Some sugar cane loss was reported, but we do not have numbers yet. The citrus concern is not from wind but from standing water that can cause root rot. It will take at least a week or two to assess that impact."
Ms. Compton added that two tropical fish farms in Brevard lost 100 percent of their fish stock due to flooding.
The apparent major problem resulting from Fay is the huge amounts of rainfall due to its slow movement. The 5 a.m. Friday forecast indicated that Fay would continue to move slowly for the next 48 to 72 hours. The system was expected to move along the northern Gulf Coast as a minimal tropical storm. If the storm moves to the right of the forecast track, it will move inland earlier and weaken faster. If it moves left, over open water, however, it could get stronger than forecast.
Regardless of its exact track, Fay was expected to move slowly during the next several days, posing a significant heavy rainfall and flood hazard to a very large area far inland. Its expected path includes the Florida panhandle, the southwest corner of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
