Tornado Watch, Flood Warnings Blanket Northwest Florida Panhandle
Northwest Florida faces a dangerous combination of a Tornado Watch, catastrophic flood risk, and hazardous surf — with rivers forecast to crest well above flood stage through the weekend.
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA — The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Watch and multiple Flood Warnings Thursday for northwest Florida’s Panhandle region, with dangerous conditions expected to persist through the weekend as repeated rounds of heavy rainfall threaten to cause catastrophic flooding across Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties.
The NWS office in Mobile, Alabama issued Tornado Watch 351 at 7:56 a.m. CDT Thursday, remaining in effect until 5 p.m. CDT. The watch covers three Florida counties — Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa — along with 12 counties in Alabama and 3 counties in southeast Mississippi.
Flood Threat: ‘Catastrophic’ Flooding Possible
A Flood Watch issued by NWS Mobile covers all of northwest Florida through Friday afternoon, with forecasters warning that 6 to 12 inches of additional rainfall are expected, with locally higher totals possible. The NWS stated that considerable flash flooding is likely and catastrophic flooding is possible — a risk level associated with a significant number of flood-related deaths.
Multiple rounds of heavy rain will continue through at least Friday afternoon, according to NWS Mobile. Excessive runoff is expected to cause flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, low-lying areas, and urban streets, with storm drains and ditches likely to become clogged with debris.
The Florida Panhandle counties included in the Flood Watch are: Escambia Coastal, Escambia Inland, Okaloosa Coastal, Okaloosa Inland, Santa Rosa Coastal, and Santa Rosa Inland. The watch also extends into portions of Alabama — Baldwin Central, Baldwin Coastal, Baldwin Inland, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Mobile Central, Mobile Coastal, Mobile Inland, Monroe, Washington, and Wilcox — as well as the southeast Mississippi counties of George, Greene, Perry, Stone, and Wayne.
Multiple Rivers Under Flood Warnings
The NWS issued Flood Warnings for four specific rivers affecting northwest Florida, with crests forecast over the coming days:
- Blackwater River near Baker (affecting Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Covington, and Escambia counties): The river is expected to rise above flood stage — set at 11.0 feet — early Friday morning, cresting at 13.9 feet early Saturday morning before falling below flood stage early Sunday morning. At 14.5 feet, flooding of Cotton Ridge Park in Baker begins. The river stood at 4.1 feet as of 7 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
- Perdido River near Barrineau Park (affecting Baldwin and Escambia counties): The river is forecast to rise above its 13.0-foot flood stage Friday morning, cresting at 13.9 feet early Friday afternoon before falling below flood stage early Saturday morning. At 14.0 feet, water begins to flood the bridge roadway and the Florida side of the bridge. The river measured 2.8 feet as of 6 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
- Escambia River near Century (affecting Santa Rosa and Escambia counties): The river is forecast to rise above its 17.0-foot flood stage early Saturday morning, reaching 18.1 feet early Sunday morning before falling below flood stage Monday morning. At 19.0 feet, low-lying pastures will flood and cattle should be moved to higher ground. The river stood at 4.0 feet as of 7 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
- Shoal River near Crestview (affecting Okaloosa County): The river is expected to rise above its 8.0-foot flood stage late Friday evening, cresting at 8.6 feet Saturday morning before falling below flood stage late Sunday evening. At 8.5 feet, water enters yards on Sowel Road. The river measured 5.1 feet as of 7:15 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
The Flood Warning for the Escambia River near Century runs through Monday afternoon, June 22. The Shoal River warning extends through late Sunday night, also June 22. The Perdido River warning runs through Saturday morning, June 20, and the Blackwater River warning is in effect through Sunday morning, June 21.
Dangerous Beach Conditions Along the Coast
A High Surf Advisory and High Rip Current Risk statement are in effect for the coastal areas of Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties. The NWS warns that large breaking waves of 5 to 7 feet are expected in the surf zone. The High Surf Advisory runs through 6 p.m. CDT Friday, June 19, while the High Rip Current Risk remains in effect through Saturday afternoon, June 20.
Forecasters warned that dangerous rip currents can sweep even strong swimmers away from shore into deeper water. Localized beach erosion is also expected along the coast. Residents and visitors are urged to stay out of the water along Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa coastal areas for the duration of the advisories.
A Tornado Warning was also issued Wednesday afternoon by the NWS in Tallahassee for eastern Washington County in the Florida Panhandle. At 3:31 p.m. CDT June 17, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Vernon, moving northeast at 35 mph. Locations identified as impacted included Vernon, Holmes Valley, Millers Ferry, Gilberts Mill, Brock Crossroad, Chipley Municipal Airport, Orange Hill, Bradford, Smyrna, Spring Hollow, and Sunny Hills.
Residents across northwest Florida are encouraged to monitor NWS updates and avoid flooded roadways. The National Weather Service’s flood safety information is available at weather.gov/safety/flood.
