Tropical Depression One, formed on June 25, 1992, was a tropical depression that produced

100-year flood A 100-year flood, also called a 1% flood,Holmes, R.R., Jr., and Dinicola, K. (2010) ''100-Year flood–it's all about chance 'U.S. Geological Survey General Information Product 106/ref> is a flood event at a level that is reached or exceeded onc ...

s in portions of southwestern Florida. As the first tropical depression and second

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

of the 1992 Atlantic hurricane season, it developed from a

tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...

. Located in an environment of strong

wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...

, much of the

convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...

in the system was located well to the southeast of the poorly defined center of circulation. The depression moved northeastward and made

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

near

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

on June 26, shortly before dissipating over land. The depression, in combination with an upper-level

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

to its west, produced heavy rainfall to the east of its path. In

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, peaked at , destroying hundreds of homes and causing two fatalities. In Florida rainfall reached 25 inches (640 mm). The heaviest flooding occurred in Sarasota and

Manatee Manatees (, family (biology), family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivory, herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing t ...

counties, where 4,000 houses were affected, causing thousands to evacuate. The flooding in Florida resulted in two direct fatalities and was indirectly responsible for an additional traffic casualty. Total damage in Florida amounted to over $2.6 million (1992 USD, $4 million 2009 USD).

Meteorological history

A weak

moved off the coast of Africa on June 12. It tracked westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean with minimal

, and subsequent to moving through the southern

Windward Islands The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...

it crossed northern

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. Convection increased on June 20 as the wave entered the southwestern Caribbean. Under the influence of southeasterly flow from developing Hurricane Celia in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the south-southwesterly flow from a mid-to upper-level

over the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, the area of disturbed weather tracked generally north-northwestward through the Caribbean Sea while spreading across Cuba and southern Florida. On June 24, a mid-level circulation developed near the Yucatán Channel, and shortly thereafter satellite image loops indicated deep convection with some cyclonic rotation near the western tip of Cuba. A

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...

flight was dispatched late on June 24 into the system to determine if it developed into a

, though the flight did not observe evidence of a closed low-level circulation. After the flight, satellite imagery indicated a low-level circulation was forming, and on June 25 ship and buoy data confirmed the system developed into Tropical Depression One while located about west-southwest of

Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...

. The

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...

(NHC) incorrectly classified the system as Tropical Depression Two due to an earlier subtropical storm. Upon becoming a tropical cyclone, the depression was poorly organized, with much of the convection located well to the southeast of the broad center due to strong upper-level

. The shearing environment was caused by a trough in the Gulf of Mexico and from the outflow from Pacific Hurricane Celia. This was reflected in forecasts, with the National Hurricane Center predicting no significant change in intensity or structure. The depression moved northward before turning to the northeast, and on June 26, the poorly organized system made

just north of

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. The low-level circulation dissipated while crossing the Florida peninsula, with the remnants continuing northeastward before being absorbed by a large

extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...

over the western Atlantic.

Impact

The tropical depression, in combination with the upper-level trough to its west, produced torrential precipitation throughout Cuba, peaking at . This is the fifth highest known rainfall total from a tropical cyclone in the country. The rainfall primarily affected the provinces of

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

, and

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. Two Cuban citizens were killed by the rainfall, with an Arab student reported missing who presumably drowned. The deluge damaged or destroyed hundreds of houses in the provinces of Pinar del Río and Havana. In Florida, the depression produced moderate winds near the coast, peaking at in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. The system dropped torrential rainfall, peaking at at Arcadia Tower. Large portions of the state reported totals in excess of from the depression, with much of Sarasota County receiving over of rain. The rainfall was classified as a

event in Sarasota and

counties. Officials in Manatee County declared a state of emergency in response to the flooding. About 3,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes due to the flooding, some of whom left by boat. The flooding damaged about 50 houses in and around Oneco. Due to the evacuations, no injuries were reported. The Lake Manatee reservoir in Manatee County rose to over , above normal, which resulted in officials opening floodgates to mitigate potential flooding. In Sarasota County, the flooding closed several roads and led to many overflown creeks and rivers, including the Horse Creek which crested at above flood level. The

Myakka River The Myakka River is a river in southwestern Florida. It arises near the Hardee County, Florida, Hardee-Manatee County, Florida, Manatee county line and flows southwest and then southeast through Manatee, Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota and Cha ...

crested at on the following Monday, above its flood stage. Damage to roads and bridges totaled about $1 million. Due to the flat landscape of the region, the flooding persisted for several days. The depression spawned a tornado in a

mobile home A mobile home (also known as a house trailer, park home, trailer, or trailer home) is a prefabrication, prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or ...

park in Nokomis, destroying the roofs of five homes and causing leaks in twelve others. Throughout the area, the passage of the depression left about 45,000 customers without power, primarily due to gusty winds. The outages were fairly short-lived due to power companies calling in extra workers to restore the power. Moderate winds toppled a construction crane at the northern end of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, closing the bridge for 35 minutes before the crane was removed. In

Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...

, a man hydroplaned while driving along a flooded roadway; he crashed into a concrete pole and was killed. Severe crop damage to orange trees was reported in association with the flooding. Damage from the depression totaled over $2.6 million (1992 USD, $4 million 2008 USD), with about 4,000 houses affected by the flooding and an additional 70 destroyed. Two people were killed in Florida. On August 14, about six weeks after the flooding, President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

declared a major disaster area for Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. The declaration allowed for the use of federal funding to assist in the aftermath of the system.

References

External links

NHC's archive on Tropical Depression One

NHC's Tropical Cyclone Report on Tropical Depression One
{{DEFAULTSORT:1 (1992) 01 1992 1992 Atlantic hurricane season 01 1992 01 1992

Meteorological history

Impact

See also

References

External links