Record Rain Floods Florida as 34 Counties Face Flood Watches and School Closures
Record rainfall flooded roads across Florida on Monday, closing schools in several counties and leaving parts of the Treasure Coast under water. Forecasters said more rain was expected through Tuesday, with flood watches in place into the morning of Nov. 3.
Record rainfall flooded roads across Florida on Monday, Nov. 2, with 34 counties under flood watches or warnings as the rain kept falling through the day, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Brevard County was hit the hardest, with heavy rain in parts of the south end of the county, according to John Scott, executive director of the Brevard Emergency Operations Center. The National Weather Service warned Brevard residents of “extremely dangerous and life-threatening conditions” and told people: “Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”
Other parts of the state also reported road closures from flooding, including Osceola, Glades and Indian River counties.
Schools closed and roads under water
Schools in Brevard, Glades and Hardee counties were closed Nov. 2 because of the weather. DeSoto County said its schools would be closed Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, and Hardee County schools will also be closed Nov. 3.
On the Treasure Coast, parts of the region recorded 3 to 6 inches of rain over the last 24 hours, a meteorologist said just after 8 a.m. Nov. 2, according to TCPalm. Port St. Lucie police reported at midday that drivers should avoid the St. Lucie West area, where water was building up on roads, and said officers were responding to calls about vehicles stuck in high water. The National Weather Service in Melbourne issued a flash flood warning for parts of St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River counties until 1:45 p.m.
In Indian River County, lanes of U.S. 1 north from Vero Beach and south from Sebastian were under water but passable in the left lane and on the shoulder, and mobile home parks along the way were flooded, TCPalm reported. Fort Pierce closed all city parks, beach access points and recreation facilities because of flooding, and a stretch of Virginia Avenue in the city was closed.
More rain expected through Tuesday
A portion of east central Florida, including Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie, Volusia, Okeechobee and Brevard counties, will remain under a flood watch through the morning of Nov. 3. The National Weather Service in Melbourne said another 1 to 2 inches of rain was possible, and that any added rain could make the flooding worse.
Forecasters said some areas could see an added 2 to 3 inches, with rain chances of about 60 percent on Nov. 3, which is Election Day, and about 50 percent into Nov. 4. A coastal flood advisory is in effect through 7 p.m. Nov. 3 for Martin and St. Lucie counties, and a high surf advisory is in effect Nov. 2, with breaking waves of 6 to 7 feet and a high risk of rip currents. The wet weather followed days of poor beach conditions, erosion and high water levels last week in parts of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties tied to astronomical high tides, also called king tides.
Reporting based on coverage by the Palm Beach Post and TCPalm.
