Ian lifts St. Johns River by a foot or more, raising risk of future flooding

Jim Waymer, Florida Today
·1 min read
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The St. Johns River rose to Hurricane Ian's challenges of heavy rain and wind. Literally.

Just about every station in and around Brevard County showed river levels lifted about a foot, to greater than 90th-percentile levels, putting the region at greater flood risk for the next storms.

But the U.S. Geological Service's seven-day forecast did not predict any flooding in Brevard. Still, more rain is expected as Ian makes its way offshore.

Stations maintained by the USGS showed most Central Florida rivers at greater than 90th percentile levels after Ian passed through.

Regional water mangers had assured earlier in the week that there's plenty of space to store floodwaters within the St. John River's upper basin, to prevent widespread or severe flooding from the river.

Doug and Mary Sphar, who live next to Lake Poinsett, were counting their blessings Thursday.

DeSoto Parkway was completely flooded early, but by late afternoon the water had receeded, and these young women took advanage of the flooded drainage ditch. Brevard started experiencing effects of Hurricane Ian Wednesday morning.
DeSoto Parkway was completely flooded early, but by late afternoon the water had receeded, and these young women took advanage of the flooded drainage ditch. Brevard started experiencing effects of Hurricane Ian Wednesday morning.

"Water is up less than a foot," Doug Sphar said of the lake level, via email. "Over the course of yesterday, I monitored the weather radar and the southeast quadrant of the storm was amazingly dry of rain.

"There  is always a delay of a few days before runoff in the headwaters impacts the level up here.  Interesting that the eye passed just east of lake Poinsett!"

Ian poses moderate flood risk

Check out local river level observations at USA TODAY NETWORK's real-time river level observation map here.

Jim Waymer is an environment reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Waymer at 321-261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Or find him on Twitter: @JWayEnviro or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jim.waymer

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Ian raised the St. Johns River, raising future risk of Brevard floods