Flood in Seminole County, Florida

Rainfall totals of 4-7 inches, which fell between 0700EST on the 8th and 1500EST on the 10th, led to generally minor street flooding across portions of the county. The St. Johns River at Sanford, which was already in minor flood stage due to remnant effects from Ian, experienced water level rises to moderate flood stage on Thu. Nov. 10. Above Lake Harney at Geneva, the river, which was already in minor flood stage, experienced slow rises into moderate flood stage in the days after. A small number of structures experienced at least some damage according to reports; however, official estimates were unavailable at the time of this writing.

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.