Volusia facing coastal flood warning with up to 10-foot waves, more beach erosion

Patricio G. Balona, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read

A gale off the coast of Jacksonville will bring strong winds toward the shore producing 8 to 10 feet waves in the surf zone along Volusia County and east Central Florida, the National Weather Service said on Sunday.

The weather conditions will persist through Monday with beach erosion around times of high tide, the most significant being late Sunday around 11 p.m.

"For folks living along the beaches, beach erosion is expected after midnight through Monday during high tide cycles," said John Pendergrast, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

Pendergrast said there is a 60% chance of rain for Sunday and Monday decreasing during the week but still, rain is expected for much of this week.

In its flood warning, the National Weather Service said Volusia County is in the path of the weather disturbance.

"The Volusia county coast is especially vulnerable to wave runup given the loss of dunes and sea walls as a result of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole last autumn," the service said in its Sunday morning forecast.

Coastal flood warning issued for East Central Florida including Volusia County.
Coastal flood warning issued for East Central Florida including Volusia County.

A coastal flood warning will go into effect at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon and expire at 4 a.m. Tuesday.

The service is predicting north winds will increase 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph along the Volusia coast. A wind advisory went into effect at 10 a.m. Sunday morning and will last until 4 a.m. Monday.

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A strong southward-flowing longshore current, rough surf and a moderate risk of dangerous rip currents is expected. Entering the surf is not advised.

Some properties have new seawalls some still have none south at the Tornita Beach Approach in Wilbur By The Sea., Tuesday March 28, 2023 as hurricane erosion recovery efforts continue.
Some properties have new seawalls some still have none south at the Tornita Beach Approach in Wilbur By The Sea., Tuesday March 28, 2023 as hurricane erosion recovery efforts continue.

Strong and gusty north winds will spread southward across the local Atlantic waters behind a cold front. Small craft advisories will be in effect for all the seas by late Sunday afternoon. A gale warning will also go into effect for the Volusia waters late Sunday afternoon. Seas will build rapidly, reaching 10 to 16 feet tonight, the forecast reads.

The rough weather is expected to be around for a few days.

Strong northeast winds will produce windy conditions along the coast, very hazardous seas and surf through early this week. Large breaking waves will produce rough surf, beach erosion and coastal flooding concerns around the times of high tide through at least Tuesday, the service is predicting.

"This is an unusual event as there is a gale a couple hundred miles off the coast of Jacksonville cranking up the winds over the Atlantic waters including Volusia County," Pendergrast said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia expecting coastal flood warning, more erosion of beaches