ORLANDO, Fla. — Beaches east of Orlando face another dangerous day Tuesday as king tides, strong northeast winds and big breaking waves keep the coast under a string of weather alerts, with forecasters warning the hazards will linger until about midweek.
A Coastal Flood Warning stays in effect into Tuesday. Forecasters expect minor to moderate flooding near each high tide, and seawater may spill onto docks, lots, yards and low streets along the beaches and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Four separate alerts cover Volusia County at once: wind, high surf, flooding and coastal flooding. Monday morning tides there were forecast to top five feet, and officials said flooding can happen even without rain because the high water pushes farther inland.
King tides are unusually high tides that come at certain times of year when the moon, sun and Earth line up to pull water levels above normal. This round arrived alongside a stretch of gusty northeast wind.
In the surf zone, breaking waves of 8 to 13 feet are expected, and rip currents pose a serious, possibly deadly risk, along with moderate to major beach erosion around high tide. Brevard County closed all of its beach access points on Sunday because of the rough surf and wind. Volusia County had just rolled out a new beach flag warning system days before the conditions arrived.
Offshore, Gale Warnings cover parts of the Atlantic, where winds out of the northeast are blowing 20 to 30 knots and seas of 10 to 15 feet expected through Wednesday. Inland around Orlando, Tuesday should bring a mix of sun and clouds, a few quick showers and highs in the lower 80s, with slightly better shower chances Wednesday and Thursday.
Filed under: Orlando FL Weather News
