Florida is Facing Severe River Flooding Following Milton’s Deluge

After Hurricane Milton blasted Florida with 5-20 inches of rain in a couple of hours, central and northern Florida lakes and rivers are rising, and some may remain over flood stage far into this week.

The amount of rain that Milton poured on the central and northern areas of the Florida Peninsula, mostly along and north of Interstate 4, was often 5 to 10 times the historical average rainfall for October. 

Even Florida's sandy soil was unable to absorb the downpour, as feared entirely.

Severe river flooding in Florida following Milton’s deluge

As water recedes from city streets and low-lying areas, residents who have experienced or evaded power outages and property damage caused by Milton's high winds may confront delayed rising water from a neighboring river.

Most Florida rivers have headwaters that are barely a few dozen feet above sea level before flowing into the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, or bays. 

Because of this, they have a leisurely flow and behave similarly to bigger rivers, such as the Mississippi, despite the fact that the volume of water they manage is considerably less.

National Weather Service hydrologists and AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring Florida rivers that have received more rain than the sandy soil can absorb. 

Flooding is already occurring or will be inevitable in the next few days as a result of the volume of runoff entering rivers.

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