Deluge Of Rain Leaves Area Saturated

    North Lake County saw drenching rainfall cover the area late last week, with several days of rain producing the highest rainfall totals in several months. Over six inches of rain was reported in some areas, with nearly all communities reporting four or more inches over the Thursday - Saturday time period.
   At the peak of the rainfall event, the St. Johns River in Astor jumped back into 'moderate' flood zone. In a roughly six-hour period early Friday, the river jumped nearly six inches, rising from 2.5 feet (minor flooding) to over 3.0 feet, with three feet denoting 'moderate' flooding by Saturday, the river had begun to decline, and was hovering at 2.8 feet early this week. The crush of water left low-lying areas flooded once again in Astor, a condition that has been near constant for several months.
   More broadly, the rainfall caused few problems while providing a much-needed soaking of the area. In Lake County, the Florida Service reported a plunge in the KBDI number for the county. The Keetch Byram Drought Index, which tracks soil moisture, was logged at 294 on Wednesday, November 15, before the weather event began. On Monday, November 20, that number had plunged to 50 on the 0-700 scale, with lower numbers denoting higher soil moisture content.
   A Florida Forest Service weather station in Paisley recorded 6.1 inches during the event, with 5.20 inches being recorded on November 17. An automated weather station at the Umatilla Municipal Airport recorded 5.42 inches during the period.
   Reports from private gauges in the area recorded from 4.5 to 6.1 inches.