page_title: Effects of Hurricane Irma in Florida
section_title: Palm Beach County
hierarchical_section_title: Effects of Hurricane Irma in Florida / Impact / South Florida / Palm Beach County
caption_attribution_description: English: A fallen tree after Hurricane Irma in a Boca Raton, Florida shopping center.
context_page_description: Hurricane Irma was the costliest storm in the history of the U.S. state of Florida. Irma developed from a tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands on August 30, 2017. The storm quickly became a hurricane on August 31 and then a major hurricane shortly thereafter, but would oscillate in intensity over the next few days. By September 4, Irma resumed strengthening, and became a powerful Category 5 hurricane on the following day. The cyclone then struck Saint Maarten and the British Virgin Islands on September 6 and later crossed Little Inagua in the Bahamas on September 8. Irma briefly weakened to a Category 4, but re-intensified into a Category 5 hurricane before making landfall in the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago of Cuba. After falling to Category 3 status due to land interaction, the storm re-strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane in the Straits of Florida. Irma struck Florida twice on September 10 – the first as a Category 4 at Cudjoe Key and the second on Marco Island as a Category 3. The hurricane weakened significantly over Florida and was reduced to a tropical storm before exiting the state into Georgia on September 11.
context_section_description: In Palm Beach County, sustained wind speeds reached 67 mph (108 km/h), while wind gusts peaked at 91 mph (146 km/h), both of which were observed at Palm Beach International Airport. Overall, about 566,970 customers in the county were left without electricity. The storm knocked out about one-third – 244 out of 726 – of Palm Beach County's cell phone towers out of commission. Extensive damage to trees and plants occurred throughout the county, with about 520,733 cubic yards (398,129 m³) of vegetative debris removed by September 26. Five deaths occurred, with two from drowning, two by carbon monoxide poisoning from improper use of a generator, and one from blunt trauma. Damage throughout Palm Beach County reached about $303 million.
  Beach erosion in Boca Raton resulted in the loss of about 80 ft (24 m) of sand. Beaches in the city suffered several millions of dollars worth of damage. Winds downed a number of large trees, especially ficus, in the city's older neighborhoods. A large tree fell on a building at the Tri-County Animal Rescue, causing a portion of the roof to collapse and forcing workers to evacuate 50 animals. About 51% of traffic lights were damaged and 33% were not operating due to power outages. Farther north, a roof collapsed in Kings Point. In Wellington, some townhouses at the French Quarter neighborhood were damaged, losing roof tiles, siding, and insulation. Two apartment buildings In Riviera Beach suffered extensive roof damage, causing rainwater to enter several units in both buildings. Police and firefighters rescued about 60 people from the apartments. On Singer Island, a condo was condemned due to damage from the storm. Damage in Rivieria Beach totaled about $3.6 million. In the county's western communities along Lake Okeechobee – Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay – impact was primarily limited to flooded streets, downed trees, and some damaged mobile homes.
caption: An uprooted tree at a shopping center in Boca Raton
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