Coastal flood warnings cover Florida's Atlantic coast from Nassau to Miami-Dade through midweek

Coastal flood warnings were in effect Monday afternoon, Oct. 26, from Nassau County to Miami-Dade County, according to active National Weather Service alerts. The Jacksonville and Melbourne offices’ warnings run until 2 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 29; the Miami office’s, for coastal Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, until 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 28.¹²³⁴

Monday morning, NOAA tide gauges recorded water 2.562 feet above mean higher high water at Fernandina Beach at 9:54 a.m., 2.369 feet at Mayport at 9:48 a.m., 2.103 feet on the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville at 11:18 a.m., 3.028 feet at Port Canaveral’s Trident Pier at 7:54 a.m. and 2.241 feet at Virginia Key at 10:06 a.m. NOAA labels the data preliminary.⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹

Northeast Florida

The Jacksonville office’s 3:22 a.m. EDT update calls for “moderate to possibly major flooding around times of high tide” at the beaches of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns and Flagler counties, with breaking waves of 8 to 10 feet. A high surf advisory runs until 8 a.m. EDT Wednesday. The office says numerous roads may be closed and low-lying homes, businesses and some critical infrastructure will be inundated.¹

A separate warning, also until 2 a.m. EDT Thursday, forecasts moderate flooding around high tide in the St. Johns River basin, including parts of Duval, Clay, Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties.¹⁰

The city of Jacksonville said Oct. 23 that the Duval County Emergency Operations Center would move to partial activation starting Saturday evening, Oct. 24.¹¹ News4JAX published a resident’s photos Monday showing neighbors on Coquina Avenue paddling kayaks to get home; the report did not give the street’s city.¹² Action News Jax listed road closures by Fernandina Beach police and beach ramp closures by St. Johns County as of Sunday.¹³

Central Florida

The Melbourne office’s 1:39 a.m. EDT update warns of “significant coastal flooding” in coastal Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties and breaking waves of 7 to 11 feet, with the coastal flood warning and high surf advisory both in effect until 2 a.m. EDT Thursday.² A wind advisory the office issued at 12:36 p.m. forecasts northeast winds of 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 to 40 mph, until 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday along the coast.¹⁴

Inland, the St. Johns River near Astor stood at 3.6 feet at 9:30 a.m. Monday, against a flood stage of 2.3 feet, and was forecast to crest at 3.8 feet Monday evening, according to a flood warning for Lake and Volusia counties.¹⁵ CBS12 reported that the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said flooding made a Palm City road impassable.¹⁶

South Florida

The Miami office’s 1:20 a.m. EDT update forecasts breaking waves of 8 to 13 feet in coastal Palm Beach County, under a high surf advisory until 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday, and a high rip current risk through Wednesday evening there and in coastal Broward and Miami-Dade counties. A wind advisory runs until 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday.³⁴¹⁷ The Key West office has a coastal flood warning for “major saltwater flooding” in the Upper Keys until 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday.¹⁸

CBS12 reported Monday that Midtown Beach in Palm Beach was temporarily closed and Juno Beach Pier was closed until further notice.¹⁶ WUSF, carrying a Florida Public Radio Emergency Network report, said this is the region’s second nor’easter in the past two weeks and that the hazards come during a stretch of elevated astronomical high tides, known as king tides.¹⁹

What the records do not show

• Official counts of flooded homes, rescues or injuries; closures above come from news reports.
• Final tide readings or gauge flood thresholds; NOAA’s figures are preliminary.
• The South Florida Water Management District’s king tide schedule, which could not be opened.
• Any state emergency declaration; none was found.
• Updates after about 4 p.m. Monday.