Winter Wonderland

Ft. Pickens reopened (again) this afternoon and we discovered our own version of a winter wonderland!

Tons of sand cleared from Ft. Pickens Road following Tropical Storm Ida and a subsequent winter storm, made it look more like we were driving through a ski resort than Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Awesome!

After Ida

I'm very appreciative that Ida was pretty much a non-event for us here on Pensacola Beach -- at least in my neighborhood. We didn't so much as lose a palm frond in our yard and we had no flooding. Issues of beach erosion and road conditions within the National Seashore may be another story.

Ft. Pickens Road and Bowden Way (the road to Navarre Beach) are both closed. I was hoping that Bowden Way would reopen quickly, but now I'm not so sure after looking at some of the photos in this morning's Pensacola News Journal online. It is going to take a while for the water to drain and the sand to be plowed off the road.

You may check out some of the PNJ photos of Pensacola Beach after Tropical Storm Ida by clicking HERE.

Tropical Storm Ida

Tropical Storm Ida continues to weaken.


Lifeguards keep a watchful eye at Casino Beach, but even the surfers are staying out of this churning surf.

Don't forget that you can check conditions at the beach near the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier via the Island Empress webcam. It is located under "Local Cams" in the left-hand column of this page.