It’s been well over a week since Hurricane Milton swept through Florida, and many communities along the St. Johns River are still dealing with major flooding.
The good news for these communities is that the flooding appears to be slowly climbing back down. The bad news: it’s doing so very slowly.
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The National Weather Prediction Service shows that many areas are still dealing with high floodwaters, and forecasts only show these levels dipping a bit by this weekend.
In areas like Astor and DeLand, the river level is still at a “major flood stage,” meaning that residents are required to evacuate or simple leave the area to avoid being hurt.
Meanwhile, areas of the river near Lake Harney and Sanford are in a “moderate flood stage,” meaning some properties could be entirely flooded thanks to the high river levels. Near Sanford, those levels could drop to “minor” by this weekend.
The following are the NWPS’ flood level readings and predictions along the St. Johns River as of Monday at 9:30 p.m.:
Area | Flood Levels (Oct. 21) | Forecast Levels (Oct. 26) | Forecast Flood Stage (Oct. 26) |
---|---|---|---|
Near Lake Harney | 9.78 feet | 9.6 feet | Moderate |
Near Sanford | 7.08 feet | 6.9 feet | Minor |
Near DeLand | 5.42 feet | 5.3 feet | Major |
At Astor | 4.26 feet | 4.1 feet | Major |
Meanwhile, other waterways in the region are also suffering from heavy flooding.
The Withlacoochee River has seen historic flood levels since Milton, with many neighborhoods along the river being impacted by the rise.
Just like with the St. Johns River, these flood levels are forecast to dip very gradually, meaning impacted communities aren’t expected to see relief from the high floodwaters anytime soon.
The following are the NWPS’ flood level readings and predictions along the Withlacoochee River as of Monday at 10:30 p.m.:
Area | Flood Levels (Oct. 21) | Forecast Levels (Oct. 26) | Forecast Flood Stage (Oct. 26) |
---|---|---|---|
At US-301 Trilby | 19.32 feet | 18 feet | Major |
At Croom | 12.85 feet | 12 feet | Major |