Preparations and Impact
The combination of wind shear and low-level helicity produced moderate convection across central Florida in association with the precursor low pressure system. Late on September 20, a supercell developed near Lake Apopka, and tracking quickly northward it spawned an EF1 tornado near Eustis; the tornado tracked about 2 miles (3 km) and reached winds of about 100 mph (160 km/h). The tornado destroyed 20 homes, left 30 others severely damaged, injured one person, and caused power outages for about 300 people. Damage totaled $6.2 million (2007 USD). Tornadoes were also reported near Marianna and Chipley. The precursor low pressure system also generated lightning that stuck and killed a man in Hendry County, Florida.
Outer rainbands began affecting coastal sections of the Florida Panhandle by about 12 hours prior to the formation of the depression. Coinciding with the first advisory on the depression, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning from Apalachicola, Florida westward to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Shortly thereafter, an inland tropical storm warning was issued for Pearl River, Walthall, and Pike counties in Mississippi and Washington Parish in Louisiana. Additionally, the New Orleans National Weather Service issued a coastal flood watch for four parishes in southeastern Louisiana. In Mississippi, Governor Haley Barbour declared a state of emergency. Officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for residents in shallow areas and in mobile homes for Jackson, Harrison, and Hancock counties. Officials in New Orleans opened three emergency shelters, citing the potential need of shelter for citizens in about 17,000 FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina. Due to the threat of the cyclone, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency and placed the state's National Guard and other disaster services on reserve.
Waves of about 5 feet (1.5 m) and rip currents were reported along the west coast of Florida. However, no beach erosion was reported. Rainfall associated with the system peaked at 7.29 inches (185 mm) at Hastings. Elsewhere, rainfall totals reached 1.46 inches (37.1 mm) in Albany, Georgia and 0.51 inches (13 mm) in Dothan, Alabama. Wind gusts from the storm peaked at 46 mph (74 km/h) in Milton, Florida, which blew town a few trees in Escambia County. Overall damage from the depression was minimal. Storm surge ranged from 2.5 to 4.1 feet (0.76 to 1.2 m) along the Panhandle.
Prior to its development, several oil and gas companies removed unneeded workers from offshore oil platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico; Shell Oil Company evacuated about 700 employees, while Noble Energy removed its workforce of about 300 people from two oil rigs. Exxon Mobil cut its output by about 1,000 barrels of oil and 55,000 cubic feet (1,600 m3). With 27.7% of the daily crude oil production halted due to the depression, oil prices rose further after days of increasing levels, and on September 20 reached a record rate of over $84 per barrel.
Read more about this topic: Tropical Depression Ten (2007)
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