Record flooding, slow-to-recede rivers plague Florida after Milton blasted state with torrential rain

TAMPA – Hurricane Milton is long gone, but the lingering effects from its torrential rains that measured over a foot in many areas are extending its impacts well into this week.Several rivers around the Tampa area and north-central Florida that took the brunt of Milton’s trek across the heart of the state remain well over flood stage days after Milton made landfall Wednesday, with multiple rivers in major flood stage.  A few have even hit all-time records, surpassing other infamous hurricanes.The flooding has led to more than 1,000 water rescues across the region, with more than 700 occurring in Hillsborough County in the Tampa area, according to the sheriff’s office. The rescues ranged from a 91-year-old woman from a flooded home along the Alafia River to a massive rescue of more than 500 residents trapped in feet-deep waters of their flooded apartment complex in Clearwater. Tampa recorded a record 11.54 inches of rain, while St. Petersburg recorded its own record of 18.54 inches of rain in one day.The Hillsborough River crested at nearly 2 feet over record height Friday at Zephyrhills and has begun receding, according to National Weather Service river gauges.  But at the Morris Bridge, the river crested on Saturday morning more than 3 feet above record flood stage. It’s expected to continue to slowly recede through this week but remain above major flood stage through Monday and moderate flood stage through Wednesday.The Alafia River at Lithia just outside Tampa remains in major flood stage but is also receding.In Pasco County northwest of Tampa, Cypress Creek in the Lutz area rose to 15.08 feet on Sunday, breaking the previous record by about a foot. The NWS expects the river to crest around 15 feet on Monday and remain above major flood stage through at least Wednesday.On Sunday, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office recommended residents in low-lying areas evacuate for their safety based on the NWS forecast for Cypress Creek and the Anclote River. The Anclote River in Elfers reached a peak of 26.57 feet — about a foot short of the record. That river will remain above its banks until at least Monday.  Farther east between Orlando and Daytona Beach, where between 8 and 15 inches of rain fell, forecasters and first responders are closely monitoring the St. Johns River, where “extensive, long-lasting river flooding” is forecast to persist for several days.The river is expected to reach major flood stage from Astor through Sanford. The gauge at Astor has already set a new preliminary record stage, exceeding levels reached after Hurricane Ian. Major flooding also continues on the Little Wekiva River near Altamonte Springs, the NWS in Melbourne said.With Florida’s flat terrain, river flooding will take a long time to recede.”The St. Johns River is the most notorious for being slow to drain and that’s because it barely changes elevation from its headwaters to where it empties to the Atlantic,” says FOX Weather Senior Meteorologist Greg Diamond. “Over the course of 310 miles it only drops 27 feet. If you do the math, that’s only around 1 inch per mile. Not only that, it’s tidal. So twice a day, the incoming tide reverses the flow of water more than halfway up the river. This slows down the draining even more.”Forecasters are thus warning residents to anticipate issues for some time. “Prepare for long term flood impacts that may last several weeks,” NWS Melbourne meteorologists warned.