St. Johns and Peace rivers stay in flood across central Florida

By Ashen EmberNovember 7, 2026

Flooding continued along the St. Johns and Peace rivers in central Florida on Saturday as water from earlier rain moved slowly through both basins. The Peace River at Arcadia stood at 16.0 feet at 8:30 a.m., on the line between moderate and major flooding, a National Weather Service flood warning for DeSoto County said. At that level, up to 60 homes at River Acres are flooded.

Along the St. Johns River near Astor, moderate flooding was occurring with the river at 3.0 feet at 9:30 a.m., above its 2.3-foot flood stage, according to a flood warning for the Astor area. At that level, water approaches or may enter the lowest homes on or near Wildhog Road and nearby canals and reaches the parking lot of the Juno Trail Apartments, and parts of Alligator and Holiday roads flood. The river is forecast to hold near 3.2 feet as a large volume of rainwater works north through the basin.

Upstream near Sanford, the river stood at 5.3 feet at 10:30 a.m. and is forecast to rise above flood stage Sunday morning, reaching 6.2 feet by early Wednesday afternoon. 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 river peaked near 16.5 feet on Friday and has begun a slow fall, with the Weather Service forecasting 12.4 feet by Thursday morning. The warning compared this crest with one of 16.0 feet on Sept. 12, 1988.

Farther upstream on the St. Johns, west of Cocoa, moderate flooding was occurring with the river at 16.9 feet at 10:15 a.m. A flood warning for Brevard County still lists major flooding as forecast, though its latest forecast holds the river steady at 16.9 feet. At 17.2 feet, water enters homes along the river in the Lake Poinsett area west of Cocoa.

NOAA hydrograph for the St. Johns River at Astor, Florida — The St. Johns River at Astor was forecast to stay above its 2.3-foot flood stage through early next week. NOAA National Water Prediction Service hydrograph, public domain. Source

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.

NOAA Weather Prediction Center map showing forecast rainfall for the next 24 hours — Forecast rainfall over the next 24 hours remains light across central Florida as rivers continue to run high from earlier rain. NOAA Weather Prediction Center map, public domain. Source