Expect a wet weekend as heavy rainfall brings flood warning, advisories to area
Heavy rainfall triggered a flood warning for the St. Johns River near Astor and a flood advisory in other parts of Volusia County on Friday with more wet weather expected over the weekend.
In Flagler County, a flood advisory for the St. Johns River basin is in effect until 4 a.m. Saturday.
Rain chances lessen from Monday on, however, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
"Northeast winds and astronomical high tides, coupled with locally heavy rainfall will likely lead to higher river levels along the Saint Johns River at Astor," according to the forecast. "The level is forecast to remain in minor flood stage into next week."
Areas across East Central Florida will see scattered thunderstorms into the early evening Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts of up to 45 mph are possible along with "torrential downpours."
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Friday's storms are expected to bring 1-4 inches of rain within a couple of hours in some areas.
A high moisture area has stalled over the county over the past several days, bringing with it humidity and over 4 inches of rain at the Daytona Beach International Airport from Tuesday through Thursday, said Zach Law, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
"We're seeing pretty high rainfall totals in Volusia County," he said. "We've had a couple of flood advisories we've had to issue."
Volusia's flood advisory expired at 2:15 p.m. An advisory means that minor flooding is possible "in low-lying and poor drainage areas."
People are advised not to drive through flooded roads. According to the weather service, most people who die in floods are in vehicles.
Along the coast, there's a moderate risk of rip currents. The weather service is advising people to swim near a lifeguard and avoid swimming alone. Wind gusts could reach 35 knots on the water, including on the Intracoastal Waterway and inland lakes, and waterspouts are possible.
The weather service is also warning people on small boats to be careful north of the Sebastian Inlet, with 6-foot seas possible.
While rainfall has been heavy in recent days the overall total for the month is only slightly higher than normal. From Sept. 1 through today, the Daytona Beach International Airport has seen about 7.03 inches of rain. On average that's about .33 inches higher than normal. For the year so far the total is only about .2 inches above normal rainfall totals.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia to see more rain over the weekend
