Heavy Rains Push River Back To Flood Stage

    A soggy weekend in North Lake County left rain gauges bulging and the St. Johns River in Astor back in a flood state. The rain, which came in steady fashion while leaving behind multiple inches of accumulation, caused few flooding problems in the area but exacerbate ongoing high water problems in Astor.
   Private rain gauges in the area recorded as much as four inches of rain on Saturday and Sunday. A Florida Forest Service gauge in the Paisley area recorded 3.50 inches, and an automated weather station at the Umatilla airport recorded over 3 inches.
   In Astor, where the river has been on a no-wake restriction for months, the rainfall only served to worsen conditions. The river briefly rose to moderate flood stage (three feet) over the weekend, after briefly dipping out of flood stage (two feet) earlier in the week. The river could continue to see high water conditions as rainfall that fell to the south of Astor works its way north through the Astor area.