The coastal forecast from Cocoa Beach to Jupiter Inlet is calling for Hurricane force winds on Monday morning out of the N changing to the NE from 75 to 85 MPH with higher gusts becoming NW and decreasing to 40-50 MPH in the afternoon, with seas of 7 to 10 feet.
The Brevard EOC has issued an evacuation order for all mobile homes and manufactured housing in the county. They do not anticipate an evacuation of the barrier islands.
Low Tides for Monday are at 7:39AM and 8:20PM. High Tides for Monday are at 12:59AM and 1:48PM. It appears that the worst of the storm will take place for the coast just before local high tide.
I have elected not to evacuate my home on the barrier island for this storm, and I will be on the beach with the Excalibur 1000, immediately following the worst of the storm. As the winds rotating around the center of the storm become more out of the NE, this is the time that we can expect the most ideal conditions for beach erosion along the coast.
I must issue a word of caution to all treasure hunters who are planning to hunt these beaches during the storm. The situation on the beaches will be extremely dangerous during this time, with high tide, large surf, strong winds and lots of debris in the surf and on the beach.
Safety must always be your first concern during an event such as this. Some things to consider are floatation (a wet suit and a PFD); in the event you get caught in the rip current, Spare Air incase you get pulled under, eye protection from blowing sand and other airborne projectiles. I use a camelback that has 100oz of fresh water and a survival kit that also includes a first aid kit. I would also strongly recommend that you tether your detector to yourself, or you may never see it again.
The forecast for Tuesday is looking outstanding for a day at the beach. Unfortunately, the next high tide will immediately begin depositing sand back on the beach erasing many of the cuts developed during the hurricane. However, I still anticipate a very target rich environment on Tuesday, and new cuts will come and go as NOAA is predicting high surf conditions through Wednesday.
Be safe and happy hunting.
Q