ORLANDO, Fla. – The heavy rain has passed, but the water level continues to rise days and in some cases weeks after the storm. Why is that?
There are a couple of types of floods. Both are observed after a storm. A flash flood, like what occurs on smaller creeks and rivers, rises and falls extremely fast. That water, however, has to go somewhere.
The water from the smaller creeks and streams drains into the larger ones. More often than not, those larger bodies of water rise slowly as the tributaries that feed them show improvement.
The St. Johns River is an extremely slow, south-to-north flowing body of water that runs through Central Florida. The worst flooding on the St. Johns occurs when the heaviest rain falls on the southern extent of the river and Brevard County.
Insult to injury is added, like in the case of Hurricanes Ian and Milton, when the wind shifts out of the north, providing resistance on the river trying to drain. The water flow then gets backed up, enhancing the flooding.