Storm Surge/Tide — Coastal Volusia County, Florida

2022-11-09 to 2022-11-10 · Coastal Volusia County, Florida

Event narrative

Persistent onshore flow ahead of and during Nicole led to water level rises of 3 to 5 feet, locally up to 6 feet, along the Volusia County coastline. Moderate to severe beach erosion along already weakened dunes left behind in the wake of Hurricane Ian led to additional failures of seawalls and structures along the coastline. Numerous structures, including homes, condominiums, and hotels were deemed unsafe and required additional analysis by engineers as well as county and state officials. Several homes along the 4000 block of S. Atlantic Ave. in Wilbur-by-the-Sea and in Port Orange collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous waterfront structures along the intracoastal waters, including the Halifax River, experienced inundation due to water levels rises of 3 to 5 feet. A damage assessment conducted by the Volusia County Property Appraiser's Office indicated 329 properties affected, 101 with minor damage, 154 with major damage, and 23 that were destroyed, primarily due to storm surge related flooding along the beaches and intracoastal. Total estimated damage is approximately $500M.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach, Florida as a Category 1 Hurricane on Thursday, November 10, 2023 with estimated maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The system was originally classified as a subtropical storm after forming several hundred miles east of the Bahamas before it gained tropical characteristics as it approached Grand Bahama and Abaco Island. The interplay between Nicole and an expansive area of high pressure over the eastern United States produced a large wind field of tropical storm force over the western Atlantic, with a long northeast fetch that stretched over 1000 miles. These onshore winds generated very large seas in excess of 30 feet offshore, which over multiple unusually high tide cycles, led to moderate to severe beach erosion across east central Florida. Damage to coastal structures was extensive, particularly across Volusia County where an already weakened shoreline due to Hurricane Ian succumbed to the long-duration high surf event. Two indirect storm-related fatalities were reported in Orange County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1067669. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.