Parts of Brevard under a flood warning as St. Johns River water remains elevated
Areas along the St. Johns River in Brevard and nearby counties were under a flood warning Friday as waters remained elevated from Hurricane Ian more than two weeks ago.
Moderate flooding was recorded Friday morning, with the St. Johns River near Cocoa at 16.5 feet, the National Weather Service reported.
It was expected to remain moderate into Saturday, then "very slowly" fall through the minor flooding stage over the next few days, meteorologists said. The warning was extended Tuesday to last through Oct. 22.
With water at 16.5 feet, Stratford Drive near Cocoa was flooded, and water was approaching structures in low areas in the Lake Washington area of Melbourne, meteorologists said.
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Other areas along the northern border of the county were facing flooding as well.
The St. Johns River near Astor in Lake County was in a major flood stage Friday morning, NWS said. While waters were expected to slowly fall into next week, they would still remain in the major flood stage. The river was recorded at 4.4 feet Friday morning.
Major flooding can cause water to enter the first floor of homes and businesses along the river, as well as make some roads inaccessible.
Just southeast of Volusia, Loughman Lakeside Restaurant & Bar was underwater Tuesday. It was only accessible by airboat. That same day, near the Brevard-Orange County border, Airboat Rides at Midway off State Road 50 was experiencing major flooding that filled their cabins and store, with water rising up through the parking lot.
Despite the flood warning, the chance of rain was fairly low over the next week, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
Derrick Whitelich, a meteorologist at NWS Melbourne, said the chance of rain is highest for Brevard south of the river and shouldn't affect the flooding.
"Rain chances are still going to remain highest south of Melbourne (on Saturday), and even then, it doesn't look like it's too high of a chance over the next couple days," he said. "It doesn't look like any of the rain we're expecting ... will have any impact on the river."
Friday, there was a 30% chance of rain, with that likelihood dropping to 20% Saturday. Sunday and Monday were expected to be sunny, though Monday night had a 20% chance of rain.
Tuesday's chance of rain went back up to 30%, then dropped down again to 20% for Wednesday.
Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: St. Johns River still elevated after Ian; parts Brevard flood warning
