In mid-December of 2018, another storm hit the gulf coast of Florida. Unlike storms Gordon and Michael that hit just a few months earlier in September and October respectively, this storm had no name. At least none that I could discover.
We heard the storm warnings on the radio and TV, so the ominous clouds, lashing rain, and rising ocean swells were no surprise…
Named or not, I was a witness to this particular storm. Any of the locals I spoke to that day claimed they had never seen the waves so high. A stranger sent me this copy of a video he shot. That is my husband checking out the waves crashing on and washing over the jetty as the rest of us huddled further back from the action.
The news spread fast, locals and visitors alike flocked over the drawbridge that connects Casey Key to the mainland of Nokomis. The road to the north jetty was well-traveled with those wanting to witness the wrath of Mother Nature. The level of the water rose so high with the wind and rain that most of the jetty was underwater and the beach was barely walkable…
Later that day, the waves subsided somewhat, the skies cleared and a spectacular sunset promised better weather the next day…
drawing the shell collectors to the beach and the (rather bedraggled) wildlife to the jetty the next morning…
Although the beautiful beach and spectacular oceanfront homes had already sustained an incredible amount of damage in the previous storms, we saw more the next morning…
Everywhere I travel, I cannot help but stop to admire (and snap pictures of) the local plants. That’s the gardener in me I guess…
The stormy weather lasted around 24 hours. As much as it was spectacular to witness it, I prefer walking the beach with calmer waters and sunshine.
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