ORLANDO, Fla. – A week after Hurricane Ian came ashore bringing record rainfall across Central Florida, flooding concerns continue along all river forecast points.
St. Johns River
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The Saint Johns River above Lake Harney appears to have crested well above the previous flood of record at 12.7 feet and will begin a very slow decline this week.
Points downstream at Sanford and DeLand are on a steady increase, as both forecast to crest near or slightly above their respective record flood stage.
At Astor, river levels have remained steady after the initial crest this weekend, however as drainage from upstream flows north, an additional slight rise in levels will be possible.
The Saint Johns near Cocoa is forecast to crest tonight in Minor Flood stage and will begin a slow decline, persisting through the rest of the week.
Other Central Florida Rivers
The Little Wekiva River has fallen to Moderate Flood Stage and is expected to continue to decline over the next few days into Minor Flood stage.
Shingle Creek near Campbell has crested at 64.2 feet and has begun to slowly decline, but will remain in its major flood stage through Thursday.
Facts about the Saint Johns River:
The Saint Johns river is a very unique body of water compared to many across the world. It is known to be one of the laziest rivers in the world, flowing to the north at a slow pace of 0.3 miles per hour. It originates in Indian River County and spans 310 miles, ending at the Atlantic Ocean in Duval County near Jacksonville.
Due to its slow pace and a slope of less than 1%, it doesn’t take much to disrupt the flow. Semi-diurnal tides, winds and runoff can impact its speed and even direction. During very high tides, the St. Johns has been known to reverse its directions as far south as Lake Monroe in Seminole County.