Flooding possible in Sanford as Hurricane Nicole swells Lake Monroe

Downtown Sanford expecting localized flooding

SANFORD, Fla. – The St. Johns River is already swelling because of Hurricane Nicole and the city of Sanford is bracing for a new round of flooding.

Along the Sanford Riverwalk, waves from Lake Monroe could be seen splashing over the seawall on Wednesday and Thursday.

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The St. Johns River is expected to rise but stay in minor flood stage in Sanford because of Nicole.

During Hurricane Ian, Sanford saw flooding from Lake Monroe creep far past the Sanford Riverwalk and into the downtown area.

The Seminole County emergency manager says the city should expect localized flooding and an extended flood event.

But considering what the city and Seminole County went through with flooding because of Hurricane Ian, any flooding is a concern.

“Just last week we had 80 homes with water still inside of them, a month and a couple weeks later after Hurricane Ian,” said Emergency Manager Alan Harris. “Some of those are just drying out now. What we’re talking about is inches of water. Not feet like we saw with Ian, but inches of water moving toward those homes again.”

Elsewhere in Seminole County, lakes in the Geneva area are expected to reach moderate flood stage.


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