Floods in Southwest-Central Florida from Hurricane Frances, 

September 2004

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2005-3028

 2005 Printed on recycled paper

Hurricane Frances brought heavy rainfall 

and widespread flooding to southwest-central 

Florida September 4-14, 2004. The center of 

Hurricane Frances made landfall on the east 

coast of Florida on September 5 as a category 

2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, then 

moved west-northwestward through central 

Florida before exiting Pasco County into the 

Gulf of Mexico on September 6 (fig. 1; National 

Weather Service, 2004). The hurricane moved 

across the Florida Peninsula generating 5 to 11 

inches of rain over already saturated ground 

(table 1). Record flooding occurred in parts of 

Hardee, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk Counties 

(fig. 1). The hurricane and resulting floods 

caused an estimated $4-5 billion in damage to 

public and private property (Harrington, 2004), 

and 23 deaths were attributed to Hurricane 

Frances (National Weather Service, 2004).

Several watersheds drain counties in 

southwest-central Florida that were affected by 

Hurricane Frances. De Soto, Hardee, and Polk 

Counties generally are drained by the Peace 

River system, which flows southwestward 

to Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico. 

Hillsborough and Pasco Counties generally are 

drained by the Alafia, Hillsborough, Anclote, 

and Pithlachascotee River systems. Water in the 

Hillsborough and Alafia River watersheds flows 

west to Tampa Bay and water in the Anclote and 

Pithlachascotee River watersheds flows west to 

the Gulf of Mexico. (fig. 1).

USGS field crews obtained some of the highest discharge 

(flow) measurements ever recorded at several gaging stations 

during this flood. These data contribute to understanding flood 

behavior, enhancing efforts to minimize destruction caused by 

floods, and providing information for planning.

Flood of September 6-14, 2004

Information on peak discharges for selected gaging stations 

in southwest-central Florida is shown in table 1. The data include 

peak discharge, peak stage, recurrence interval, rainfall totals, 

gaging-station period of record, and date and magnitude of the 

largest historical peak discharge recorded prior to September 2004.

19

41

17

27

98

4

75

75

22

14

9

8

7

6

1

18

16

15 13

12

11

10

5

4

3

2

31

30

29

28

27

26

25

2423

21

20

17

19

TAMPA

LITHIA

ELFERS

BARTOW

KNIGHTS

ARCADIA

LAKELAND

HOMELAND

ZEPHYRHILLS

SAN

ANTONIO

BABSON

PARK

THONOTOSASSA

BOWLING

GREEN

SULPHUR

SPRINGS

NEW PORT

RICHEY

WORTHINGTON

GARDENS

GARDNER

FORT

MEADE

POLK

PASCO

HARDEE

MANATEE

DE SOTO

HILLSBOROUGH

HIGHLANDS

SARASOTA

CHARLOTTE

OSCEOLA

GLADES

PINELLAS

LAKE ORANGE SUMTER

0 20 MILES

0 20 KILOMETERS

Gulf of Mexico

Tampa

Bay

27° ′ 00

30′

28° ′ 00

82° ′ 30 82° ′ 00 81° ′ 30

30

TRACK OF HURRICANE

FRANCES Direction of

travel was east to west.

STREAMFLOW GAGING

STATION And site

number.

−

−

EXPLANATION

Charlotte

Harbor

Anclote

River

River

Payne

Creek

Pithlachascotee

River

Cypress Creek

Blackwater

Creek

Alafia

Hillsborough

River

Tiger Creek

Charlie

Creek

Peace River

Map

Location

Figure 1. Geographic and hydrologic features and track of hurricane in southwest-central Florida.

Data Collection

The U.S. Geological Survey (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 delineate flood-hazard zones. Most 

of these stations provide real-time data through satellite relay 

or radio telemetry. Real-time data from these stations are used 

by the National Weather Service, the Southwest Florida Water 

Management District, and other agencies and are available on the 

Internet at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/.
2 

Table 1. Peak discharges and rainfall at selected sites in southwest-central Florida.

[Data were compiled from Kane (2005) and from unpublished data on file at the U.S. Geological Survey office in Tampa, Florida; stage in feet above gage datum; 

ft3/s, cubic feet per second; >, greater than; <, less than; --, not determined]

Site

number

(fig. 1)

Station 

number Streamflow-gaging station

Peak discharge, Septtember 6-14, 2004 Rainfall 2

total

Sept. 4-7,

2004

(inches)

Period of

record

through

2004

Largest historical peak 

discharge recorded prior to 

September 6, 2004

Peak

discharge

 (ft3/s)

Peak

 stage

(feet)

Recurrence

 interval 1

(years)

Date Magnitude

(ft3/s)

 1 02268390 Tiger Creek near Babson Park 188 47.09 -- -- 1991-2004 Mar. 22, 1998 188

 2 02293987 Peace Creek Drainage Canal near Wahneta 1,020 45.34 -- -- 1991-2004 Sept. 27, 1994 739

 3 02294217 Saddle Creek at State Highway 542 near Lakeland 795 17.33 -- 8.68 1987-1988,

1996-2004

Sept. 1, 2003 744

 4 02294260 Lake Parker Outlet at Lakeland 247 5.67 -- 6.95 1956-1959

1967,1969,

1997-2004

Dec. 13, 2002 192

 5 02294491 Saddle Creek at Structure P-11 near Bartow 1,640 17.63 -- -- 1963-2004 Jan. 4, 2003 937

 6 02294650 Peace River at Bartow 4,710 11.12 >100 5.98 1939-2004 Sept. 24, 1947 4,141

 7 02294898 Peace River at Ft. Meade 2,450 80.85 -- 6.03 1964-1969

1972-2004

Feb. 23, 1998 2,250

 8 02295013 Bowlegs Creek near Ft. Meade 1,450 -- 50 -- 1964-1968

1991-2004

Sept. 21, 1994 742

 9 02295420 Payne Creek near Bowling Green 3,230 18.13 > 10 6.20 1963-1969

1979-2004

Sept. 14, 2001 3,220

 10 02295637 Peace River at Zolfo Springs 8,470 22.39 < 10 -- 1933-2004 Sept. 6, 1933 26,300

 11 02296500 Charlie Creek near Gardner 5,460 17.27 > 10 5.15 1950-2004 Aug. 1, 1960 8,160

 12 02296750 Peace River at Arcadia 14,600 17.22 < 10 -- 1931-2004 Sept. 9, 1933 36,200

 13 02301000 North Prong Alafia River at Keysville 9,550 15.18 >100 -- 1950-2004 Sept. 11, 1960 9,570

 14 02301300 South Prong Alafia River near Lithia 2,630 17.81 > 25 -- 1992-2004 Aug. 14, 1967 2,600

 15 02301500 Alafia River at Lithia 10,300 22.08 > 10 6.77 1932-2004 Sept. 7, 1933 45,900

 16 02301738 Archie Creek at 78th St. near Tampa 138 24.46 -- -- 1999-2004 Jan. 1, 2003 133

 17 02301740 North Archie Creek at Progress Bl. near Tampa 353 19.62 -- 7.95 1999-2004 Jan. 1, 2003 328

 18 02301745 Delaney Popoff Canal near Tampa 399 12.19 -- 7.01 1999-2004 Sept. 14, 2001 359

 19 02301750 Delaney Creek near Tampa 721 6.45 > 10 8.80 1984-2004 Sept. 27, 1997 633

 20 02301793 East Lake Outfall at East Chelsea St. near Tampa 127 25.15 -- -- 1999-2004 Sept. 15, 2001 56

 21 02302500 Blackwater Creek near Knights 3,140 81.40 > 25 -- 1951-2004 Mar. 18, 1960 5,400

 22 02303000 Hillsborough River near Zephyrhills 6,410 13.93 > 10 -- 1939-2004 Mar. 18, 1960 12,600

 23 02303330 Hillsborough River at Morris Bridge near 

Thonotosassa

 5,910 34.35 -- 11.07 1964-2004 Dec. 15, 1997 5,200

 24 02303350 Trout Creek near Sulphur Springs 1,830 43.15 > 25 -- 1962-2004 June 28, 1974 1,540

 25 02303400 Cypress Creek near San Antonio 923 75.89 > 10 -- 1962-2004 Mar. 31, 1987 1,100

 26 02303420 Cypress Creek at Worthington Gardens 1,800 13.78 > 25 -- 1964-2004 April 3, 1987 1,450

 27 02303800 Cypress Creek near Sulphur Springs 1,820 31.36 > 10 -- 1956-2004 Aug. 1, 1960 2,160

 28 02305851 Curiosity Creek at 122nd Avenue near Sulphur 

Springs

 205 35.15 -- -- 1999-2004 Aug. 3, 2003 150

 29 02306028 Hillsborough River at Platt Street at Tampa -- 15.83 -- -- 1997,

2001-2004

-- --

 30 02310000 Anclote River near Elfers 2,680 24.44 > 25 -- 1946-2004 July 30, 1960 3,890

 31 02310300 Pithlachascotee River near New Port Richey 945 23.81 > 10 -- 1963-2004 Sept. 9, 1988 1,480 

1

From Kathleen Hammett, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2004.

2

Collection, computation, and publication of rainfall data do not necessarily conform to standards used by the National Weather Service. Rainfall data could be 

subject to error because of high winds.
 3

The flooding caused by widespread rainfall and runoff as a 

result of Hurricane Frances was most severe in the Peace River 

Basin. Peak discharges for the period of record were recorded 

at several gaging stations in the upper Peace River Basin (sites 

1-9, fig. 1, table 1; Tiger Creek near Babson Park, Peace Creek 

Drainage Canal near Wahneta, Saddle Creek at State Highway 

542 near Lakeland, Lake Parker Outlet at Lakeland, Saddle Creek 

at Structure P-11 near Bartow, Peace River at Bartow, Peace 

River at Ft. Meade, Bowlegs Creek near Ft. Meade, and Payne 

Creek near Bowling Green). At Peace River at Bartow (site 6), 

the recurrence interval for the discharge of 4,710 cubic feet 

per second (ft3/s) was determined to be greater than 100 years 

(Kathleen Hammett, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 

2004). At the Saddle Creek at Structure P-11 near Bartow station 

(site 5), USGS field crews measured 1,550 ft3/s of discharge 2 

days after the peak flow. This measurement was used to refine the 

rating curve that determined the peak flow to be 1,640 ft3/s. The 

gage height at this site was observed to be approximately 9 feet 

(ft) higher than base flow conditions (fig. 2). The flooding continued downstream to Peace River at Zolfo Springs (site 10) where 

the discharge of 8,470 ft3/s was computed. This discharge was the 

highest since flooding associated with rainfall from the 1997-

1998 El Niño. At the Charlie Creek near Gardner station (site 11), 

a tributary to the Peace River, the discharge was 5,460 ft3/s, and 

the highest since flooding caused by Tropical Storm Gabrielle in 

2001. Discharge at the Peace River at Arcadia station, the farthest 

downstream discharge site, peaked at 14,600 ft3/s (site 12). This 

discharge was also the highest since flooding caused by Tropical 

Storm Gabrielle.

Flooding also occurred in the Alafia, Hillsborough, Anclote, 

and Pithlachascotee River watersheds. A peak discharge of 

9,550 ft3/s was recorded at the North Prong of the Alafia River 

at Keysville (site 13). This discharge was the highest since 

Hurricane Donna in 1960, and second highest for the period of 

record dating back to 1950. At the South Prong of the Alafia 

River near Lithia the computed discharge was 2,630 ft3/s (site 

14), which was the highest for the period of record, which began 

in 1967. A peak discharge of 10,300 ft3/s was recorded for the 

Alafia River at Lithia (site 15). This was the second highest flow 

since Hurricane Donna in 1960. Figure 3 shows a USGS field 

crew using a bridge crane and Price AA meter to measure the 

flow at the Alafia River at Lithia station.

In the Hillsborough River watershed (sites 17-20, and 23), 

peak flows for periods of record were recorded at Archie Creek, 

North Archie Creek, Delaney Popoff Canal, Delaney Creek, East 

Lake Outfall at East Chelsea Street, and at Hillsborough River 

at Morris Bridge Road. At Blackwater Creek near Knights (site 

21) a peak discharge of 3,140 ft3

/s was the highest recorded 

since the 1997-1998 El Niño. A peak discharge of 6,410 ft3/s 

at Hillsborough River near Zephyrhills (site 22) was the third 

highest for the period of record since 1939. The highest discharge 

for the period of record also was recorded at Trout Creek near 

Sulphur Springs (1,830 ft3/s, site 24). USGS field crews observed 

Trout Creek overflowing the road at State Highway 581 (fig. 4). 

At Cypress Creek near San Antonio, a discharge of 923 ft3/s 

was recorded (site 25), the highest since 1987 and the second 

highest for the period of record. Farther downstream at Cypress 

Creek at Worthington Gardens, a record discharge of 1,800 ft3/s 

Figure 2. Views of Saddle Creek below Structure P-11 (site 5) near Bartow looking downstream. Top–view when creek was at 0.02 ft3

/s on December 1, 2003. 

Bottom–view of boat measurement at discharge of 1,550 ft3/s on September 13, 

2004. Photographs taken by J. Newby and J. Regar, U.S. Geological Survey.

Figure 3. U.S. Geological Survey field crew making flow measurement at Alafia 

River at Lithia (site 15) using current meter, bridge crane, and 100-pound weight at 

discharge of 10,000 cubic feet per second at gage height 21.86 feet on September 8, 

2004. Photograph taken by M. Dickman, U.S. Geological Survey.
4 

was recorded (site 26). A peak discharge of 1,820 ft3/s was 

computed at Cypress Creek near Sulphur Springs (site 27), which 

was the highest since 1960 and second highest for the period of 

record. A period of record discharge of 205 ft3/s also occurred 

at Curiosity Creek at 122nd Avenue near Sulphur Springs 

(site 28). Downtown Tampa also experienced flooding from the 

Hillsborough River and storm surge from Tampa Bay (fig. 5). 

The Hillsborough River at Platt Street (site 29) near the mouth 

of Hillsborough River at Tampa Bay experienced a storm suge

nearly 4 ft above the normal high tide gage reading of 11.94 ft. 

The peak recorded gage height of 15.83 ft was the highest for the 

period of record (fig. 6). 

Figure 4. Views of Trout Creek near Sulphur Springs (site 24) on 

downstream side of bridge. Top–view when creek was at gage 

height of 37.01 ft and flow of 25 ft3/s on October 2, 2003. Middle–

view during flood on September 7, 2004, at stage 6 ft higher and 

flow of 1,610 ft3/s. Bottom–view of west bound traffic lane (State 

Highway 581) overflow discharge on September 7, 2004. Photographs taken by R. Carson and G. Baraket, U.S. Geological Survey.

Streams in other watersheds also had peak flows. At Anclote 

River near Elfers (site 30), a peak discharge of 2,680 ft3/s was 

the second highest computed since the period of record peak in 

1960. A peak discharge of 945 ft3/s at Pithlachascotee River near 

New Port Richey (site 31), was the highest since the 1997-1998 

El Niño. 

References Cited

Harrington, Jeff, 2004, Next hit: double digit insurance hikes: The St. Petersburg 

Times, October 3, 2004, p. 1A.

Kane, R.L., 2005, Water resources data, Florida, water year 2004, Volume

3A. Southwest Florida Surface Water: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Data Report FL–04–3A.

National Weather Service, 2004, Tropical Weather Summary, accessed October 1, 

2004, at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2004/tws/MIATWSAT_sep.shtml.

Author— Richard L. Kane

For more information on water resources in Florida, contact: 

usgsinfo_fl@usgs.gov

Figure 5. View of flooding in downtown Tampa on September 6, 2004, 

from storm surge and flooding near the mouth of the Hillsborough 

River. Photograph provided by National Weather Service.

16

GAGE HEIGHT, IN FEET ABOVE DATUM15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

0000 0600 1200 1800 2400 0600 1200 1800 2400 0600 1200 1800 2400

5 6 7

24-HOUR TIME, SEPTEMBER, 2004

Station Number 02306028

Hillsborough River at Platt Street

Tampa, Florida

Figure 6. Gage height fluctuation with time at Hillsborough River at Platt Street at Tampa during 

September 5-7, 2004 (site 29). Computed gage height, in feet, at datum 10 feet below National 

Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929. These data are provisional and subject to revision.