Florida Hazards Guide: Other Hazard & Emergency Information

As a peninsula that is full of lakes and rivers, floods are a potential threat in Florida.  The NWS produces several interactive maps that show current flood conditions and predict potential flooding in the future.  They also analyze the probability of flash floods and coastal floods.

The State Emergency Management Office has a useful dashboard for tracking current river conditions and flood risks.

FEMA's Flood Map Service shows the potential flood risk for your area.  You can search by address or view a larger map.

The USGS provides years of water data on their website, including water quality and water level data from monitoring stations in nearly every body of freshwater in Florida.  If you live next to a lake or stream, you can sign up for a handy feature that allows you to receive e-mails or texts when a particular body of water exceeds a certain height - useful for monitoring potential flooding in your area.

How deep are the lakes in your area?  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission maintains bathymetric maps of many of the lakes in Florida.

During hurricane season, storm surge is a concern near the coast and along some large bodies of water inland.  NOAA's National Storm Surge Hazard Map shows the potential impact of storm surges based on the category of storm striking an area.

Florida has over 1200 dams and over 1200 miles of levees.  You can learn more about dams on the Army Corps of Engineers National Dam Inventory, and levee information from their National Levee Database.

Florida is well known for sinkholes, which tend to increase in frequency when there are heavy rains after a long dry period.  This map gives a good idea of how common they are in different areas of the state (based on differing geology).  A complete list and map of sinkhole activity in Florida is provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on their Subsidence Incident Reports page.

While earthquakes are not a common occurrence in Florida, there are seismic events offshore in the Caribbean that can affect Florida (see the Tsunami information in this box).  The USGS has a map that provides current seismic data for the United States, and you can see telemetry from the seismograph located in the Disney Wilderness Preserve on this website.

Droughts can also be an issue, because they can contribute to wildfire risk and can increase the risk of sinkhole formation if there are heavy rains after a long dry season.  A drought monitor map is available here, which rates drought conditions from D0 (abnormally dry) to D4 (exceptional drought).  Additional information including impacts on agriculture is available from the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Lightning is a persistent threat in Florida, which is infamous for the number of strikes per year.  Many parks and sports fields have lightning sirens to warn those nearby of impending lightning danger, and personal lightning detectors are also available.  Understanding how lighting works is essential to staying safe.  Fortunately, Florida is no longer the lightning death capital of the US or the world as of 2021.

The National Weather Service releases a daily Lightning Threat indicator report, and you can see strikes in real time here.

The CDC maintains a list of current outbreaks and health alerts, including disease outbreaks, tainted food, and other public health concerns.

Air Quality Data is available via AirNow, Air Quality Today, and PurpleAir.

Radiation level data is available in several places, including:  EPA RadNet, GRM, and GMC.

Although many people think that tsunamis are a distinctly a Pacific-coast threat, they are possible in the Atlantic.  The NOAA issues warnings of possible tidal wave triggering events here, and specific data about Florida (part of the Caribbean Sea/Region 3) is available here.

 Tsunami hazards for Florida are issued according to this scale.

NOAA also provides data on potential tsunami hazards, as well as a map that models tidal wave travel times from epicenters to coastal regions, and a tsunami warning system..

The National Weather Service issues regular reports and warnings about rip currents, tides, waterspouts, and other maritime information that could create hazardous conditions on the coast.  Information for boaters (including small craft and lake wind advisories) is also available.

The NOAA Tides & Currents page displays tidal predictions in a graph output for several coastal areas and rivers.  It also monitors extreme water levels and water inundation via several monitoring stations.

Current rip current data is available on a map and sorted by risk level, provided by the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Florida is at high risk for wildfires, particularly during dry seasons between winter and spring.  An interactive map of current fires is available here.

The NWS also issues reports showing the current risk of wildfires developing in the area.  Lightning strikes can start wildfires, so the lightning data from the tab on this box is useful in determining potential risk as well.

Wildfires can create dense smoke that can cause adverse traffic conditions, so during the dry season it is a good idea to check for visibility hazards as well.

The Florida Forest Service has an interactive GIS map with fire data.

An active wildfires dashboard provided by the State Emergency Management Office gives real-time data in an easy to read format.

There is a large variety of potentially dangerous flora and fauna in Florida:

Alligators and Crocodiles - A map with reports of attacks by gators and crocodiles is available at the CrocBITE database.

Algae, Amoeba - Usually a threat during the summer months when freshwater bodies are very warm, occasional amoeba outbreaks have taken place in Florida.  The University of Florida has a guide that describes the so-called "brain eating amoeba" and how to avoid it.
NOAA maintains a tracking map that shows the location of harmful algal blooms in Florida's water systems.

Bears - The Orlando Sentinel has an interactive map of bear encounters in Central Florida.

Invasive Species - Track invasive plants, insects, diseases, and wildlife with these distribution maps.

Mosquitoes - A persistent nuisance in Florida, mosquito-borne illnesses are tracked by the Florida Department of Health and the CDC.  The CDC provides an interactive map of cases of mosquito related illness cases, organized by state, county, and disease.

Plants - A number of toxic plant species can be found in Florida.  Guides are available from the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Agriculture.

Sharks - The Florida Museum has compiled data on shark attacks in Florida, including frequency by county, time of day and year, victim activity at the time of the attack, and species involved.  Ocearch provides real-time GPS tracking of tagged sharks and other marine wildlife.

Snakes - According to the Florida Museum, only six of the 50 native species of snakes in Florida are venomous.  Their guide is useful in learning how to identify the venomous species.  There is another guide available from the FWC.

Spiders - Despite a few sightings in the state, brown recluse spiders aren't native to Florida.  Black Widows, however, are not as rare.  The University of Florida has a guide to common Florida spiders, and the Florida Department of Agriculture provides information about dangerous species.

WHISpers - The Wildlife Health Information Sharing Partnetship tracks incidents of wildlife morbidity events.