Nicole brings road closures and street flooding to Florida’s east coast

Several bridges and roads on the Space Coast and First Coast are closed Thursday following flooding and erosion from Tropical Storm Nicole.

Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall in Florida as Hurricane Nicole near Vero Beach early Thursday morning. Now downgraded back to a Tropical Storm, Nicole is none the less bringing serious beach erosion to portions of the Atlantic coastline impacted by Hurricane Ian just over a month ago.

According to the National Hurricane Center, 3 to 5 feet of storm surge is forecasted from Hallandale Beach all the way up the east coast of Florida, 3 to 5 feet along the Nature Coast and 1 to 3 feet in the Tampa Bay area.

Nicole has brought significant road closures from New Smyrna Beach up through Jacksonville. New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach and Daytona Beach have closed bridges to barrier islands. Flooded coastal roads, and in some cases major road erosion, have been reported in Flagler Beach, Crescent Beach, Vilano Beach and in the City of St. Augustine.

You can learn about what specific roads and impacted and get updates through FL-511, a service of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Affected counties are advising extreme caution on the roads on Thursday, asking residents not to travel unless necessary. If you do need to drive, stay safe by reducing distractions, using low-beam headlights and windshield wipers and moving slowly. If a road is flooded or blocked by debris, seek another route.

The National Weather Service advises that you never walk or drive through flood water. Six inches of moving water can knock an adult down, and one foot can wash away a vehicle. Driving or walking over downed power cables can put you at risk of electrocution.