Hurricane Ian: Mayor orders closure of Jacksonville's beaches ahead of storm

Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union
·1 min read

Mayor Lenny Curry announced the closure of Jacksonville's beaches due to Hurricane Ian on Wednesday evening, in combination with officials in Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach.

"At this time, we are closing all three beaches to the public until further notice. We will reopen as soon as it’s safe for citizens," Curry announced via social media.

Outer bands of Hurricane Ian have begun making their way up the Florida peninsula Wednesday evening.

The storm made landfall in Lee County on Wednesday afternoon with sustained wind speeds of 155 miles per hour, although those winds have diminished with the storm on land. At the time of the mayor's announcement, however, the National Hurricane Center still reported sustained winds of 105 mph, within Category 2 status.

At low tide just before 5 p.m. Wednesday here was plenty of space on the beach, but gusts made it difficult to face into the wind and stinging sand hit eyes and exposed skin.
At low tide just before 5 p.m. Wednesday here was plenty of space on the beach, but gusts made it difficult to face into the wind and stinging sand hit eyes and exposed skin.

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The National Weather Service as of Wednesday night projected storm surge estimates of 3 to 5 feet along the Northeast Florida coastline. Forecasters expected winds of tropical storm force to arrive at area beaches in the early morning hours Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Curry stopped short of ordering mandatory evacuations but advised residents in areas plagued by severe flooding in Hurricanes Matthew and Irma to evacuate.

Nassau County and St. Johns County have previously issued restrictions or bans on driving on the beach during Hurricane Ian.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX, and sign up for the First Coast Varsity newsletter at https://profile.jacksonville.com/newsletters/first-coast-varsity/.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hurricane Ian: Lenny Curry closes Atlantic, Neptune, Jacksonville beaches