page_title: Tropical Storm Emily (2017)
section_title: Preparations and impact
hierarchical_section_title: Tropical Storm Emily (2017) / Preparations and impact
caption_attribution_description: English: Tropical Storm Emily is expected to weaken as it moves across central Florida late Monday July 31, 2017.
context_page_description: Tropical Storm Emily was a rapidly-forming tropical cyclone that made landfall on the west coast of Florida. The fifth named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, Emily formed from a small area of low pressure that developed along a cold front in late July 2017. Unexpectedly, the low rapidly organized and strengthened into a tropical depression on July 30, and then into a tropical storm early the next day. Emily continued to intensify as it moved eastward, peaking with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph as it made landfall near Longboat Key on the western Florida coast. The cyclone weakened quickly into a tropical depression shortly after landfall as its circulation became increasingly disrupted. Emerging into the Atlantic Ocean on August 1, Emily continued to weaken as it accelerated northeastward, becoming post-tropical early on August 2.
  Heavy rainfall produced by Emily caused widespread flooding in southwest Florida, causing road closures and water damage to homes and buildings. An EF0 tornado spawned by the storm destroyed two barns and numerous greenhouses, as well as causing an engineered wall to collapse. Overall damages are estimated at $10 million.
context_section_description: Upon the classification of Emily as a tropical depression, a tropical storm watch was issued for the west coast of Florida from the Anclote River to Englewood, which was later upgraded to a tropical storm warning and extended southward to Bonita Springs. Shortly after the classification of Emily as a tropical storm, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 31 counties to ensure residents were provided with the necessary resources.
  Heavy rainfall produced by Emily caused widespread flooding in Polk and Pinellas counties, prompting the closure of roads and evacuation of a few homes. Coastal flooding was reported in Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota counties, causing additional road closures. The storm spawned an EF0 tornado near Bradenton. The tornado was on the ground for about 1.3 mi (2.1 km) and destroyed two barns and a few greenhouses, while an engineered wall collapsed, leaving about $96,000 in damage. Torrential rains impacted parts of Miami Beach, with accumulations reaching 6.97 in (177 mm) in 3.5 hours, of which 2.17 in (55 mm) fell in just 30 minutes. Coinciding with high tide the deluge overwhelmed flood pumps, with three of them shutting down due to lightning-induced power outages, and resulted in significant flash floods. Multiple buildings suffered water damage, with some having 2.5 ft (0.76 m) of standing water. One person was hospitalized after becoming stuck in flood waters. Portions of Downtown Miami, such as Brickell, were also heavily affected; numerous vehicles became stranded in flooded roadways. The NHC later assessed the flooding in Miami to be indirectly related to Emily, as the storm was losing tropical characteristics at the time. Total damages from Emily are estimated to be about $10 million.
caption: Enhanced infrared satellite loop of Emily making landfall in the Tampa Bay Area on July 31