As Tropical Storm Debby passed 130 miles west of Sanibel on Aug. 4, the island experienced sustained winds of over 25 miles per hour with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.

The SCCF Marine Lab tracks the impacts of storms through SCCF’s River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network (RECON).

“While the effects of Debby were similar to Hurricane Idalia in August 2023, Debby more closely resembles the winter storm of December 2023,” said SCCF Marine Lab Manager A.J. Martignette. “The tidal cycle and timing of Debby and the December storm produced a higher local storm surge than Idalia.”

The Tarpon Bay RECON station measured a peak storm surge of just under 2 feet. 

“The peak surge only lasted a few hours, but water levels remained above normal for another day,” said Martignette.

The storm surge temporarily increased salinity in the bay and Caloosahatchee River as the water from the Gulf of Mexico was forced in.

“This increase was short-lived and would have a minimal impact on the organisms that live in the bay are they are accustomed to temporary changes in salinity,” he added.

Rainfall of about 4-6 inches across the island over the past four days combined with the storm surge led to flooding in some locations.