Floodwaters cut off homes from Astor to Arcadia as Florida rivers stay high

Flooding was still cutting off riverfront homes in central Florida on Saturday as water already in the St. Johns and Peace river basins kept moving north and downstream. A National Weather Service flood warning for DeSoto County said the Peace River at Arcadia stood at 16.2 feet at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with major flooding continuing near River Acres, where up to 60 homes can flood.

Along the St. Johns River near Astor, a flood warning from the Melbourne weather office said canals had overflowed into yards. Homes on or near Wildhog and Bonnet roads had become inaccessible, with several inches of water inside some homes along the river. Moderate flooding was forecast to hold through early next week as upstream runoff moved north through the basin.

Farther south in the St. Johns basin, the Weather Service said water near Sanford was forecast to reach minor flood stage this weekend and keep rising through next week. At 6.2 feet, water completely surrounds many homes in the Stone Island and Still Brook subdivisions, according to the river warning for Seminole County near Sanford.

At Arcadia, the same Weather Service warning said the Peace River reached 16.5 feet at its highest point in the previous 24 hours and was forecast to fall only slowly, dropping to 12.9 feet by Wednesday evening. Major flooding was still occurring there Saturday morning.

Flooding was also worsening farther down the St. Johns basin. A flood warning for Brevard County said moderate flooding was underway west of Cocoa and major flooding was forecast this weekend and into early next week. At 17.2 feet, water enters homes along the river in the Lake Poinsett area west of Cocoa.

No severe thunderstorms were forecast in Florida on Saturday, according to the Storm Prediction Center, and the heaviest rain had shifted away. The concern now is the slow movement of water already in the river basins, with flood warnings still in effect for Astor, Sanford, Cocoa and Arcadia.