Tampa Bay's overwhelmed drainage systems led to widespread flooding, officials say
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Flooding near Gladden Park and on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Photos: Sarah Kochan and Winston Bartlett
Officials across Tampa Bay gave the same answer Thursday: There was just too much rain.
Why it matters: This week's afternoon storms caused intense flooding that all but shut down some parts of the region — including areas that rarely flood.
Driving the news: On Wednesday, neighborhood streets to major thoroughfares were underwater in St. Petersburg and Tampa, snarling traffic during residents' evening commutes. Photos on social media showed cars abandoned in rising water.
- Waves lapped over the sidewalk of St. Pete's Central Avenue, while Bayshore Boulevard and downtown Tampa streets were covered in water ahead of a Childish Gambino concert at Amalie Arena.
- Even some higher-elevation neighborhoods, like Central Oak Park in St. Pete, saw flooding that residents had rarely, if ever, seen before.
By the numbers: Tuesday's rainfall broke records at the National Weather Service's Tampa International Airport reporting station, meteorologist Rodney Wynn told Axios.
- It captured 4.67 inches of rain, a quarter-inch more than the previous record set in 1985.
- On Wednesday, citizen rain gauges in St. Pete captured up to 5.5 inches of rainfall, Wynn said.
Yes, but: It's not just the amount of rain — it's how fast it's coming down, city and county officials said.
- Tampa saw 3.8 inches in an hour on Tuesday, shattering the previous record of 3 inches.
- Town 'n' Country in unincorporated Hillsborough County got slammed with nearly 4 inches of rain in 45 minutes Wednesday night, on top of 3 inches the night before.
- Some parts of St. Pete saw as much as 5 inches in an hour on Wednesday, public works administrator Claude Tankersley told reporters.
What they're saying: "That unfortunately overwhelms our systems," Tankersley said, noting they are equipped to handle about 7.5 inches of rainfall in 24 hours — the standard across the state.
- "Quite simply, our stormwater system … [is] not prepared to instantaneously drain this amount of water in this short of a time," Tampa mobility director Vik Bhide told City Council members on Thursday.
- Building a stormwater drainage system that could handle such intense downpours would be "prohibitively expensive — in the billions of dollars," Tankersley said.
The big picture: Climate change is causing extreme precipitation events to be more intense and frequent in much of the U.S. and around the world.
- This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, which provides added moisture and energy to storm systems.
State of play: Crews in Tampa are working to remove debris and unclog drains, while Hillsborough County continues pumping water in anticipation of more rain.
- The majority of St. Pete's pipes are clear of debris, Tankersley said. Public works officials are working to clean sediment from the remaining lines.
- There are a number of stormwater projects in the queue, including a large retention pond at MacDill 48 Park in South Tampa that the city expedited and expects to finish next year.
What's next: A weather front sitting over North Florida is expected to continue dumping rain on the area for the next few days, Wynn told Axios.
- City and county officials urged residents not to drive or walk through floodwater.
- With the ground already saturated, Wynn said, "things can get really bad really fast."