Tropical Storm FAY - Florida Keys - August 18, 2008
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- On the August 18, 2008 storm chasers Michael Laca, Jim Leonard and Max Hagen intercepted Tropical Storm Fay as it crossed the middle and lower Florida Keys making its first landfall (out of a record four separate landfalls) within the state of Florida.
Fay produced moderate tropical storm conditions across the Keys, with very heavy rainfall, rough seas, and sustained winds of 45-50mph, with gusts between 60-70mph. An automated offshore station at Sombrero Key reported a 2-minute average wind of 60mph and a 10-min average of 52mph, while the Sand Key station reported a peak gust of 71mph.
Over the next six days, Fay slowly crawled across the Florida peninsula producing exceptionally heavy rainfall accumulations, with localized totals between 20-30 inches over several areas of east-central Florida, and a large swath of 10-15 inch storm totals. The resulting flooding was disastrous in several areas. However, many locations in Florida received a welcome ending to the severe drought conditions which have persisted for well over a year.
After its second landfall near Cape Romano, Florida on August 19th, Fay uncharacteristically strengthened while over land, exhibiting a well-defined "eye" and partial eyewall feature on radar and satellite imagery as it approached Lake Okeechobee in south-central Florida. There were several unofficial reports of winds between 60-80mph in this area.
Great stuff Michael as always!
I'm still waiting for my first tropical encounter this year!
Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked the clip. I'm sure the surf in St. Augustine must've been awesome.
Thanks so much Karen Lynn!!!
Thanks so much Karla! I'm glad you liked the video!
Thanks Nathan!!! I'm glad you like the footage. Yeah, Fay may just be the prelude to the big event that's probably coming soon. Hopefully we'll be able to get some amazing footage this year. Thanks again.
Thanks so much Jason!!! I'm definitely watching Gustav closely!
Hi Chris. Thanks!!! Yeah... the last part of the video (from 6:50 to 7:26) was shot just outside Jim's front door. And yes, even though this clip's quality has been downconverted for the TH-cam upload, I originally shot it in HD.
Thanks Chris!!! I'll try and get some good footage from Gustav, Hanna and any others that might come along!
Thanks Max! Yeah crossing bridges in the Keys during a tropical system is always fun...haha. The cell that crossed the eastern end of the Seven-Mile Bridge and produced that gust at 3:40 was really ominous on radar.
Thanks Roy! Some of the forecast models actually bring Gustav towards the Yucatan, we'll definitely have to keep a close eye on that.
My personal recollection is that the strongest single gust we experienced in the storm was around 3:40 in the video when we were crossing that bridge coming back - my whole car felt like it was going to overturn! Just something I remembered watching this. Anyways, great footage as always.
Hi James! Thanks so much! 98W, east of the central Philippines looks pretty interesting. I'm sure you guys will have a monster develop soon... the West Pacific nevers goes too long without producing.
Good video Michael! .. very capricious and strong Fay .. really he fell in love with the Florida after two times crossed it and to hurt. This is the preamble of what waits for us in the Atlantic Ocean .. we wait for them in Yucatan if there is some real threat :)
Fay was a Remarkable Storm even if didn’t reach Hurricane Intensity
Thanks so much Mike! Yeah.. I'm racking up quite a bit of footage this season...haha. I'm currently working on the Gustav edit and trying to plan the upcoming Ike chase.
Thanks Jim!!! It definitely looks like Gustav is on the way... and it's perfectly timed for my vacation too...haha.
I remember this storm well. It had hit FL a few days after my birthday, and a day after school had started back in middle school. We missed THE REST OF THE SCHOOL WEEK because this storm couldn't decide where it wanted to go (it zig-zagged through FL before finally leaving.) Back then it was just wind and rain to me and I just said "FUCK YEAH FREE VACATION!" But seeing how strong it was before it hit US... Damn...
I remember too, what a crazy time. Didn't have school but man did it flood a lot from all the rain.
Hi Alex. Yeah, over a relatively small area in the Keys, Fay was actually pretty impressive with 40-50mph winds and a few higher gusts. The next day, when the storm uncharacteristically strengthened over land, some spots around the western and northern sides of Lake Okeechobee had an even more significant impact with unofficial gusts approaching 80mph.
Tropmet | Storm Chasing
I guess you may end up with enough footage for a 2008 Tropical Season DVD! Awesome job as usual. You set the standard around here on the Tropics.
I got some Hanna Footage today.
SCM
Thanks Bill! The Fay chase is probably just the warm up for a bigger tropical system over the next few weeks. Are you going to come down if something big comes along?
Cool video.
Bill
We got one again
I Wonder how the 7 Mile Bridge in the Lower Keys looked like during the eyewall of Hurricane Irma ,Not even news crews were reporting in the Keys,Mike Theiss,Jime Edds,Juston Drake and Simon Brewer were in the Lower Keys and they were lucky to be in a good elevation while some others chasers were in Naples
Hey, it is 2018 & now we have Alberto, the first named storm of the season. Praying that he won't be as bad as Fay was. The girls seem to be the "Drama Queens". I'm in Florida and it's already been raining here almost non-stop for 2 weeks now. ☔
Man this is great... The news stations should use this, its very stable, very clear and the audio is great. Btw, was this shot in HD?
I always thought tropical cyclones can only intensify over salt water. But I think your right.
Great footage of Fay, I knew you would get that awesome footage of Fay, Fay was sure one heck of a rain maker, it was still very rainy well when it got into the Carolinas, I expect Fay to be retired, due to its similarities to Allison of 2001, Now we have Gustav, could it create another Katrina like disaster? well anyway, 5/5 + FAVS!!
Fay was that strong?! wow
Michael,Did you Chase Charley,Frances and Ivan Besides Jeanne or none of the other 3 besides Jeanne
is the last shot at Jim's House??
It intensified suddenly overland into a strong tropical storm. I don't know why this happened.
P.Doodle....Thank you!!! =^D
does anyone know if there can be thunder or lightning in tropical storms or hurricanes?
nah there cant
It really depends on the strength and how well it's developed. If I remember, I think Isaac had intense lightning and thunder in the eye wall. So yes. There really can.
Back in 1969, when Hurricane Camille came through, lightning actually came into the Diplomat Hotel in the lobby, and as it hit the floor, it created a small hole through the marble. It also obliterated part of the marble counter at the check-in desk. We'd taken shelter underground if I remember correctly. I remember my father telling me about it, because I was only nearly 5 years old at the time. That was one of the worst hurricanes to hit South Florida! Since then, the worst was Hurricane Michael in October of 2018. People call it the forgotten hurricane. Several people from another channel covered that one, but I don't remember whether there was any lightning and thunder. I don't think so.
I hope that answers your question.
Great footage!!!! Gustav next!!!!
My son RAFAY was born during the hurricane 🌀 FAY coincidence...😊 i was in the hospital 🏥
Just be lucky it wasn't in Texas about 9 years ago
When this Channel is going to Upload something New and Interesting 🤔 ,Is the Tropmet Group going to make a Remastered Version Of Jeanne with additional Footage,Just like the ,Hugo,Andrew and Opal chases,I wil wait with Patience,you gentlemen let me Know
Fay was a weird one, wasn't she? I missed most of the meat of the '08 season while in boot camp, so this clips are definitely awesome to me.
sounds quite calm to me 1:09
Lol baby me was probably like: "yo it's loud turn it down"
me and my family were in typhoon lagoon in disney world sitting under a hut laughing at lifeguards :)
thanks God I was not in Florida that year!
Freptboy i was but in lakeland
I went through this storm. It was bad where it hit me.
This storm could've killed my parents. We had a dead tree in our backyard and this storm knocked it down. If it would've fallen the other way it would've went straight into my parents room when they were sleeping.
How could you sleep in a storm like that!!!
He's coco bird
Peanuts Gaming I slept through Wilma, Fay, and Matthew.
venchen1, i know, totally random, i think i know what caused it to gain strengh over land though, i thing part of its eye went over Lake Okechobbe so it fueled it a little.
You rock! ;-)
Camron Fritts yes there can be thunder and lightning, Hurricanes and Tropical storms are made up of clumps of thunderstorms all swirled in together :)
Aaron Jones TO MAKE A POWERFUL STORM
Trompet | Storm Chasing
Słaboooo !! Już orkany w europie przynoszą silniejsze wichury niż ta burza tropikalna.A w porównaniu do huraganów ta burza jest słaba.Jednak te 128 kmph to też huraganowy wiatr.
Dude you are badass!
this wont load says the bloodthirsty fox :)
Love how a hurricane is named after me. Hah jk🤗
jk because your name is spelled differently or because it was a tropical storm or what?