Northeasterly winds gusted up to 22 miles per hour Saturday morning, causing tidal flooding that made travel difficult over the Nansemond River Bridge on North Main Street in

Suffolk.

At its worst, around noon Saturday, all four lanes of traffic were covered with water, according to police. The water levels began to recede by early afternoon.

As of 2 p.m., the thoroughfare had not been closed.

&uot;Traffic is backing up,&uot; said Capt. Jim Judkins, spokesman for the Suffolk Fire Department. &uot;This has made travel on North Main Street a nightmare.&uot;

The flooding had nothing to do with Friday night’s rainfall, Judkins added.

Winds averaged around 13 miles per hour on Saturday morning, said Paul Houle, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Wakefield office.

&uot;There was also minor tidal flooding in Portsmouth and Norfolk this morning,&uot; Houle said.

The high winds were expected to die down Saturday afternoon, preventing future tidal flooding in most areas, he added.

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com