1

Gulf of Mexico

Charlotte

 Harbor

Horse Cree k

62

82o30' 82o

27o30'

26o

30'

27o

Big Slough

Peace

River

 62

75

MANATEE 64

COUNTY HARDEE

COUNTY

DE SOTO

COUNTY

SARASOTA

COUNTY

CHARLOTTE

COUNTY

75

17

Arcadia

Gardner

North Port

Port Charlotte

Myakka 

 City

Myakka Head

Sarasota

72

41





66

70

Manatee Riv er

Myakka

River

0 20 Miles

0 20 Kilometers

Area 

shown

enlarged

Florida

1

EXPLANATION

STREAMFLOW-GAGING 

 STATION--and site number

1 02297155

2

1

2 02297310

3

3 02298488

4

4 02298554

5

5 02298608

6

6 02298830

7

7 02299410

8

8 02299450

9

9 02299950

Flood of June 2003 in Southwest-Central Florida

Background

A series of severe thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and flooding to southwestcentral Florida during June 21-

24, 2003. The storms and resultant precipitation were caused by 

a late-season stationary cool 

front (Canadian high pressure 

ridge) that combined with tropical moisture from the Gulf 

of Mexico to produce abovenormal rainfall over already 

saturated ground (National 

Weather Service, written commun., 2003). Rainfall totals at 

U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) streamflow-gaging stations ranged from 9 to 17 inches 

and record flooding occurred in 

parts of Charlotte, De Soto, 

Hardee, Manatee, and Sarasota 

Counties, Florida (fig. 1). The 

floods caused $11.3 million in 

damage to public and private 

property, including damage or 

destruction of 119 homes 

(Binette and Saewitz, 2003).

Western De Soto, western 

Hardee, Manatee, and Sarasota 

Counties are drained by the 

Horse Creek, Manatee River, 

and Myakka River systems. 

Water in these watersheds flows 

southwestward to Charlotte 

Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico 

(fig. 1). Figure 1—Geographic and hydrologic features in southwest-central Florida. Triangles 

locate U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations.
2

Table 1—Peak discharges at selected sites in southwest-central Florida

[Data were compiled from Kane and Fletcher (2002) and from unpublished data on file at U.S. Geological Survey office 

in Tampa, Florida; ft3

/s, cubic feet per second; >, greater than; --, not determined]

Site

numbera Number Streamflow-gaging station

Peak 

discharge June 

21-24, 2003

Recurrence

intervalb

(years)

Period of

record

through

2003

Largest historical peak 

discharge recorded prior 

to June 21, 2003

Peak

discharge

(ft3

/s)

Peak

stage

(feet)

Date Magnitude

(ft3

/s)

1 02297155 Horse Creek near Myakka Head 3,610 24.67 -- 1977-2003 Sept. 6, 1988 3,210

2 02297310 Horse Creek Near Arcadia 11,000 18.02 >50 1950-2003 Aug. 1, 1960 11,700

3 02298488 Myakka River Upstream from Youngs 

Creek near Myakka City

7,800 50.12 -- 1998-2003 Sept. 14, 2001 3,420

4 02298554 Myakka River near Myakka City 9,270 17.37 -- 2000-2003c Sept. 15, 2001 6,530

5 02298608 Myakka River at Myakka City 10,800 17.39 1963-1966, 

1977-2003

June 26, 1992 12,800

6 02298830 Myakka River near Sarasota 11,100 12.46 >100 1936-2003 June 29,1992 8,680

7 02299410 Big Slough Canal near Myakka City 7,180 32.00 -- 1962-1966 

1980-2003

June 27, 1992 8,600

8 02299450 Big Slough Canal at Tropicaire Blvd. 

near North Port

4,950 27.05 -- 2001-2003 Sept. 15, 2001 1,110

9 02299950 Manatee River near Myakka Head 11,700 20.58 >100 1966-2003 Nov. 14, 1998 7,190

a

Site location shown on figure 1.

b

Determined from Bridges (1982).

c

During 2000-2001, equivalent station operated at Myakka River above Myakka City (02298556).

Data Collection

The USGS operates a 

network of streamflow-gaging 

stations in southwest-central 

Florida in cooperation with 

Federal, State, and local agencies. Data from these stations 

are crucial for water-supply 

planning, flood monitoring, 

emergency response, dam and 

reservoir-system operation, 

engineering and maintenance 

of bridges, roads, and other 

structures, and are also used 

to establish flood-insurance 

rates. Most of these stations 

provide real-time data through 

satellite relay or radiotelemetry. 

Real-time data from these stations are used by the National 

Weather Service, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and other 

agencies. Data from these gages 

are available on the internet at 

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/.

USGS field crews 

obtained some of the highest 

discharge (flow) measurements 

ever recorded at several gaging 

stations during this flood event. 

These data contribute to understanding flood behavior, enhancing efforts to minimize 

destruction caused by floods, 

and providing information for 

planning.

Flood of June 21- 24, 

2003

Information on peak 

discharges for selected gaging 

stations (fig. 1) in southwestcentral Florida is shown in 

table 1. The data include peak 

discharge, peak stage, recurrence interval, gaging-station 

period of record, and date and 

magnitude of the largest historical peak discharge recorded 

prior to June 2003.
3

The June flooding caused 

by localized runoff was most 

severe in the Myakka and 

Manatee River Basins. Peak 

discharges for the period of 

record were 7,800 cubic feet 

per second (ft3/s) at Myakka 

River upstream from Youngs 

Creek near Myakka City (site 3, 

fig. 1, table 1) and 9,270 ft3/s 

at Myakka River near Myakka 

City (site 4, fig. 1, table 1). 

Discharge peaked at Myakka 

River at Myakka City (site 5, 

fig. 1, table 1) at 10,800 ft3

/s, 

the second highest flow on 

record and the highest since 

1992. The flood wave continued downstream to Myakka 

River near Sarasota (site 6, 

fig. 1, table 1) where 11,100 

ft3/s was recorded. This discharge was also the highest for 

the period of record, which 

began in 1936. USGS field 

crews observed discharge at 

this site flowing over State 

Highway 72 near Myakka 

River State Park. The highest 

discharge ever recorded on 

Manatee River (11,700 ft3

/s) 

occurred near Myakka Head 

(site 9, fig. 1, table 1). Discharge at this site increased 

more than 11,000 ft3

/s in 24 

hours on June 21-22, after more 

than 10 inches of precipitation 

fell in 48 hours (fig. 2).

Flooding also occurred 

in the Horse Creek and Big 

Slough watersheds. A peak 

discharge of 3,610 ft3

/s for the 

period of record was recorded 

at Horse Creek near Myakka 

Head (site 1, fig. 1, table 1). 

At State Highway 72, the 

discharge for Horse Creek near 

Arcadia (site 2, fig. 1, table 1) 

was observed overflowing the 

road by USGS field crews 

(fig. 3). The peak discharge of 

11,000 ft3/s was the second 

highest flow recorded since 

1950 and the highest since 

Hurricane Donna in 1960. 

At Big Slough Canal near 

Myakka City (site 7, fig. 1, 

table 1), a discharge of 7,180 

ft3

/s was the highest recorded 

since 1992 and second highest 

for the period of record. Flow 

measurements at site 7 were 

made using an acoustic doppler 

current profiler on a tethered 

Figure 3—View of road overflow at discharge of 9,900 ft3/s in Horse 

Creek near Arcadia (site 2, fig. 1, table 1) on June 23, 2003. 

0000 1200 0000 1200 2400

JUNE 21, 2003

DISCHARGE, IN

CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

JUNE 22, 2003

24-HOUR TIME

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Figure 2—Manatee River near Myakka Head, Florida (02299950, site 9, 

fig. 1, table 1). Computed discharge, in cubic feet per second. These 

data are provisional and subject to revision.
4

boat (fig. 4). Flooding continued 

downstream and was most severe 

in the City of North Port, where 

the Big Slough Canal overflowed 

its banks at Tropicaire Boulevard 

(fig. 5; site 8, fig. 1, table 1). The 

peak discharge of 4,950 ft3/s was 

the highest recorded for the 

period of record at site 8.

References Cited

Binnette, Chad, and Saewitz, Mike, The 

Sarasota-Herald Tribune, 2003, Flood 

damage tops $11 million: The Sarasota-Herald Tribune, June 28, 2003, 

p. 1B.

Bridges, W.C., 1982, Technique for estimating magnitude and frequency of 

floods on natural-flow streams in 

Florida: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 82-4012, 44 p.

Kane, R.L., and Fletcher, W.L., 2002, 

Water resources data, Florida, water 

year 2002, Volume 3A. Southwest 

Florida Surface Water: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Data Report 

FL-02-3A.

Author —Richard L. Kane

Photographs by John A. Regar

Additional information about water resources in

Florida is available on the internet at http://fl.water.usgs.gov.

Figure 5—View of road overflow at discharge of 4,450 ft3/s, Big Slough Canal at Tropicaire 

Boulevard near North Port (site 8, fig. 1, table 1) on June 24, 2003. 

Figure 4—View of Big Slough Canal near Myakka City (site 7, fig. 1, 

table 1). Discharge measurement being made using a tethered boat and 

acoustic doppler current profiler. 

U.S. Geological Survey FS-113-03

Tallahassee, Florida 

2004