Weather forecast calls for storm conditions and coastal flood watch in Bradenton area
A potent storm hitting the eastern United States has caused a gale-force wind and coastal flood warning for the Tampa Bay area, including Manatee County, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS Tampa Bay has issued a coastal flood watch from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning for the following counties: coastal Manatee, coastal Sarasota, coastal Hillsborough, Pinellas, coastal Pasco, coastal Hernando, coastal Citrus and coastal Levy.
The weather warning started at 10 a.m. Tuesday and is set to end Wednesday at 7 a.m.
As of Monday afternoon, the School District of Manatee County said students are set to return from winter break as planned on Tuesday.
“Numerous roads may be closed,” the NWS bulletin said. “Low-lying property including homes, businesses, and some critical infrastructure may be inundated. Some shoreline erosion may occur.”
The NWS advises if travel is required, to allow extra time due to potential road closures.
“Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth,” the NWS warning said. “Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property.”
Flood watch issued in Manatee
Additionally, the area is projected to get heavy winds. Monday’s forecast said gusts could reach 34 miles per hour at night, with a 50% chance of rain during the day.
On Tuesday, the Bradenton area is expected to get winds gusting as high as 50 miles per hour with a 90% chance of rain.
Weather Impacts
A potent storm system will sweep across the Eastern U.S. over the next 48 hours, with the greatest impacts in our area expected Tuesday/Tuesday night.
Here is a summary of some of the expected hazards#flwx #Weatheready pic.twitter.com/lpMxO1W68F— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) January 7, 2024
According to the NWS forecast, conditions clear up Wednesday with sunny skies and a high near 67 degrees. However, there is a chance of rain on Thursday, Friday and the rest of the weekend.
The culprit, according to the NWS forecast, is a low-pressure system moving through the eastern U.S. that is causing freezing rain, snow and potential flash flooding to parts of the northeast through Tuesday.
There is a worst-case scenario of 2 to 3 feet of rain during the coastal flood watch, according to the NWS.
Sandbags available for flood areas
Manatee County government officials announced three self-service locations will be set up with sandbags for those in flood-prone areas ahead of Tuesday’s coastal flood watch.
They include the following:
Manatee Beach, 400 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach
Coquina Beach, 1465 Gulf Drive South in Bradenton Beach
Manatee County Utilities Building, 66th Street West in Bradenton
You must bring your own shovels, Manatee County officials said in a news release.
Residents hustled around town Monday to gather sandbags and secure their property. Speaking with the Bradenton Herald, Cortez resident Bill Nicholson expressed surprise at the strength of the storm outside of hurricane season.
“I can’t believe we have to do this again!” he said.
Manatee County code enforcement department staff are going door-to-door to hand out sandbags to Rubonia residents, the release said. Rubonia was impacted with flooding from Hurricane Idalia in 2023 as well as December’s storms.
The Bradenton Police Department said on X, formerly Twitter, that sandbags are available to Bradenton city residents from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at LECOM Park’s parking lot located at 1611 Ninth Street West. There’s a limit to 10 bags per car and proof of city residency is required.
For a map of sandbag locations, visit MyManatee.org/sandbags.
Bradenton Herald photojournalist Tiffany Tompkins contributed to this report.
