Flooding in Central Florida — Courtesy: Shutterstock — america365
Flash flooding caused by the unrelenting rainstorms that battered sections of Central Florida into Monday left drivers stranded, roads impassable, and several homes submerged. The storm was described by forecasters as a “particularly dangerous situation,” a term that is rarely used.
The National Weather Service said that Lake County received up to 18 inches of rain on Sunday. It declared a flash flood emergency for Eustis and Mount Dora, two cities in the county, alerting citizens to the possibility of fatal flash floods and advising them to evacuate to higher ground.
Up to 13 inches of rain poured in nearby Brevard County, prompting the issuance of a flash flood warning. Earlier, the area was expected to experience “very heavy and slow-moving showers and thunderstorms,” according to forecasters.
Megan Tollefsen, a meteorologist at the Weather Service’s Melbourne office, stated that the amount of rain was “definitely not normal” for the area and that “this is definitely a pretty big event.”
According to Ms. Tollefsen, some places, such as Titusville in Brevard County and the city of Eustis, which has a population of roughly 25,000, seems to have seen a rainfall event that only occurs once every 200 years. “Throughout the day, we witnessed continuous and recurring rounds of rain,” she claimed.
The fire department in Titusville, a city of little under 50,000 people near the Indian River, reported multiple incidents of stuck automobiles and residences being inundated by water.
Because of a water line break that seemed to be connected to flooding from the rain, officials in Mount Dora, a city of just under 20,000 people, advised residents to boil their water before using it.
Flash flooding caused road closures in a number of other towns and cities in the area, and locals were advised to stay indoors.
The Weather Service stated that although the rain had started to lessen early Monday, there was still a chance of flooding because it would take several hours for the collected floodwater to discharge. On Monday, it said, rain from the same storm system would affect the interior of the Southeast and the southern Appalachians.
Make sure you are staying up-to-date with the latest and most important Florida news with Florida Insider. Whether you are interested in business, education, government, history, sports, real estate, nature, weather, or travel: we have something for everyone. Follow along for the best stories in the Sunshine State.
Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
