The latest on Hurricane Ian and Lake County: Heavy rain is coming at a bad time

Frank Stanfield
·4 min read

Editor's note: At 8;15 p.m. Wednesday, at the county's request, the Mascotte Charter shelter was removed from the list at the bottom of this story, as that shelter is no longer available.

LEESBURG — Hurricane Ian, creeping toward the Florida peninsula, is expected to dump a lot of rainfall on Central Florida, which has already exceeded normal rainfall totals.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne has issued a flood warning for the St. Johns River.

“Heavy rainfall in the upper St. Johns River basin over the last week continues to drain, leading to gradually rising river levels at Astor,” according to the agency’s bulletin.

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Rain predictions for Lake County from Hurricane Ian

So far, the warnings are for moderate flooding. Flood stage is 2.3 feet above the normal level. Currently it is at 2.64. At 2.8 feet, docks and boat ramps will be covered at South Moon Fish Camp and approaching the sea wall at Blair’s Jungle Den.

Fox News meteorologists have predicted 8 to 10 inches of rain is possible for Central Florida, with isolated areas being soaked with up to 15 inches.

Of course, where the storm lands will affect the wind speed, ranging from hurricane to tropical storm. Winds of 74 mph are Category 1 hurricanes, 39-73 tropical storms, and less than 39 mph is a tropical depression.

As of Tuesday morning's forecast, the storm was expected to be approaching the west coast of Florida on Wednesday as a major hurricane.

Central Lake County NOAA data shows the normal rainfall total for August at Leesburg International Airport at 6.63 inches, but the area has received 3 inches more. September numbers show a significant letup, despite some late afternoon thunderstorms.

This dock on Silver Lake in Leesburg is partially underwater.
This dock on Silver Lake in Leesburg is partially underwater.

There is visual evidence that the area has received a significant amount of rain. Docks on Silver Lake are near or below lake level.

The water management district has three tools at its disposal

The St. Johns River Water Management District, which governs most Lake County, has three tools at its disposal to fight flooding.

The district owns 775,000 acres along the north-flowing river that act as flood plains, which includes vegetation that helps soak up water like a sponge. It also operates a series of gates, locks, one pump station and 115 miles of levees that are part of the Army Corps of Engineers flood protection system.

As for the people of Astor, the word “hearty” comes to mind.

Hurricane Irma in 2017 saw the river rise 4.43 feet above normal. The record was 4.62 in 1933.

Roads were turned into canals and houses, half-submerged, became house boats. Children were fishing off front doorsteps. Snakes, turtles, and alligators swam through what used to be people’s back yards.

An emergency shelter was set up at a church in Grand Island miles away, but no one came.

Bill Arwood, a retired Miami Beach police officer was not worried.

“A bad day in Astor is better than any day anywhere else,” he said.

Hurricane Ian and Lake County: At a glance

• Citizen information line: 352-253-9999. Staffed 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Schools: Early dismissal Tuesday; closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

• Shelters: These shelters were scheduled to open at 4 p.m. Tuesday. All are pet friendly. Special-needs shelters are notated with two asterisks (**):

  • Villages Elementary**: 695 Rolling Acres Road, Lady Lake

  • Leesburg Elementary**: 2229 South St., Leesburg

  • Umatilla Elementary**: 401 Lake St., Umatilla

  • Lost Lake Elementary**: 1901 Johns Lake Road, Clermont

  • Astatula Elementary**: 13925 Florida Ave., Astatula

  • Treadway Elementary: 10619 Treadway School Road, Leesburg

  • Spring Creek Charter: 44440 Spring Creek Road, Paisley

  •   

These shelters were scheduled to open at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Of the three, only Round Lake Charter is pet friendly. They are not equipped to help people with special needs:

  • Round Lake Charter: 31333 Round Lake Road, Mount Dora

  • Mount Dora High School: 700 N. Highland St., Mount Dora

  • Leesburg High School: 1401 Yellow Jacket Way, Leesburg

These shelters are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Wednesday. They are not pet friendly and are not equipped to help people with special needs:

  • East Ridge High School: 13322 Excalibur Road, Clermont

  • East Ridge Middle School: 13201 Excalibur Road, Clermont

  • Lost Lake Elementary School: 1901 Johns Lake Rd, Clermont

  • Tavares High School: 603 N. New Hampshire Ave., Tavares

• Sandbags:

  • Astor Area: 23023 State Road 40, Astor

  • East Lake Sports and Community Complex, 24809 Wallick Road, Sorrento

  • P.E.A.R. Park, 26701 U.S. 27, Leesburg ((limited assistance provided for those with disabilities.)

  • North Lake Regional Park. 40730 Roger Giles Road, Umatilla

  • Minneola Athletic Complex, 1300 Fosgate Road, Minneola (limited assistance provided for those with disabilities.)

  • Lake County Fire Station 112 (Four Corners,) 16240 County Road 474, Clermont

Sandbag stations were scheduled to be open until 5 p.m. Tuesday and then 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Rain worries in Lake County, Florida as Hurricane Ian approaches