Latest news with #NationalWaterPredictionService
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here's where to look
The prospect of water pushing into homes and businesses is a heavy weight on the minds of Tampa Bay residents ahead of storms. Despite last year's devastating hurricane season, Tampa Bay has still not had a direct hit from a hurricane in over a century. Yet, 14 people drowned in the Tampa Bay area during Hurricane Helene from dangerous storm surge, and thousands of homes were damaged from coastal water or flooding rains. While guidance from the National Hurricane Center and emergency managers is king ahead of storms, it's helpful to have a few extra tools in the belt. One of those is watching real-time and future water levels. A website from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides data on tide gauges across portions of coastal Tampa Bay. And another resource from the National Water Prediction Service shows where river flooding is possible. The information, while far from the only piece in the larger puzzle that is hurricane preparation, gives residents another way to evaluate the risk to their homes and lives. To be clear: These tools are a supplement to personal decision-making (like planning to move your car to higher ground, or if you should start packing your car ahead of evacuations), but if officials tell you to evacuate, you need to leave. We've gathered what to know about rising water and how to access a sampling of the data surrounding it. Let's break down the basics. Tides are influenced by the sun and moon. When the tallest part of a wave reaches an area, that's high tide. The opposite, the lowest, is low tide. The difference in these heights is called a tidal range. Weather patterns can also influence tides. Strong wind and rain can lead to higher-than-expected tides, Virginia Dentler, an oceanographer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, previously told the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay tends to see its highest tides of the year around late summer and early fall — coincidentally around peak hurricane season. Around this time, water levels grow by about 8 or 9 inches from what is typically recorded in winter and spring. 'When you have warmer waters, ocean water expands, and so it increases in elevation along the coast,' Gregory Dusek, a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, previously told the Times. This is also around when 'king tides,' a colloquial term that refers to higher-than-normal tides, can occur. The flooding these high tides can cause has a few other names, like nuisance flooding or sunny-day flooding. A king tide occurs when two ingredients come together — when the moon is closest to the Earth, combined with a new or full moon. In Tampa Bay, there are just a few feet of difference between low and high tides, which is less than in other coastal parts of the country. That means whatever weather occurs that day will play a more important role in determining if a high tide will cause flooding here. Flooding can also occur without a weather system, though it's less common. A king tide occurred while Hurricane Idalia was skirting the coast of Tampa Bay in 2023. Idalia scraped near the area just hours before a king tide. Had it arrived about six hours later, Idalia's storm surge likely would have been about 2 feet higher. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a plethora of tidal stations across the country. In Tampa Bay, a number of those sites are concentrated along the coastal waters of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Because Tampa Bay has a port system, there are more tidal gauges in the surrounding waters, Dentler said. However, more-northern areas of Tampa Bay, like Pasco County and beyond, are without these gauges. Dentler said tide stations are typically added onto preexisting structures, like Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach. The administration's Tides & Currents website links to its tide stations, which include information like water levels, wind speeds and observed barometric pressure. When a storm is incoming, Dentler suggests looking to the administration's Coastal Inundation Dashboard. 'It's our real-time product,' Dentler said. Pinpoints on a map show where tide stations are located. Once a user clicks on their desired location, that station's observed water levels pop up. Stations give real-time water level data and will show when minor flooding (in yellow), moderate flooding (in red) and major flooding (in pink) are possible. The lines on the graph depict three possible water levels: Predicted water levels, observed water levels and forecasted water levels. The dark blue line shows water level predictions that oceanographers made a year in advance. The red line shows where water levels currently are. The light blue line shows the forecast guidance, which inputs external weather forces such as high winds. The forecast guidance line is the best bet in knowing how high water levels may reach during a storm, Dentler said. All stations have different heights at which flooding can occur. In St. Petersburg, for example, minor flooding can happen at a little less than 3 feet. Most of the highest water levels recorded in the station's history occurred during hurricanes. Of the top five highest water levels, three have occurred since 2020. Helene took the crown last year, dethroning a record set 39 years before. During Helene, observed water levels reached more than 2 feet higher than the record set during Hurricane Elena in 1985. Just like coastal areas, inland residents of Florida are no strangers to flooding. When Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast last year, it was the third storm to do so in a few months. The waterlogged ground and Tampa Bay's infrastructure were unable to handle the record rainfall. Rivers are a particular kind of beast. Water levels along rivers and lakes often lag weeks or months behind coastal areas after storms due to natural hydrological processes. Milton set records across Tampa Bay. The Hillsborough River rose above 38 feet, shattering a 2017 record. The Withlacoochee River crested at nearly 20 feet, the highest in nearly a century, nine days after the storm passed. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, river forecasts are made by the National Water Prediction Service, which is under the National Weather Service. The tool found at can show gauges for these sites. If you zoom in on Florida, you'll find little dots lighting up the entire state. A caveat: There are lots of buttons and drop-downs to play with on this site; water levels are one aspect. On one of its most basic levels, clicking on the dots displayed on the site will show a water body's current information and a forecast, if available. A dot corresponds with an observation, while a square corresponds with a forecast. Each colored dot or square corresponds with a water gauge. For example: green (no flooding), yellow (action), orange (minor flooding), red (moderate flooding) and purple (major flooding). A newer version of the map was released last year that has more bells and whistles, like a 'flood inundation' section. A user can also display this section under the original map, but it will warn that the information is experimental. In April 2024, a graphic found on the National Water Prediction Service product showed the Suwanee River at Manatee Springs was in a minor flooding stage, and it was expected to fall to an action level in the following days. The blue line showed observed water levels, while the dotted purple line showed the water level forecast. Should the National Weather Service place an area under a flood warning, the location will be highlighted in green. Clicking on the area will display the full advisory. For information on tides: To find the Coastal Inundation Dashboard: For information on rivers: A version of this story was previously published in the Tampa Bay Times. The Tampa Bay Times launched the Environment Hub in 2025 to focus on some of Florida's most urgent and enduring challenges. You can contribute through our journalism fund by clicking here. • • • For Tampa Bay, Helene was the worst storm in a century More hurricanes are slamming the Gulf Coast. Is this the new normal? Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here's where to look. Checklists for building all kinds of storm kits.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cheney Lake up over a foot due to recent rain
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Cheney Lake is now up over a foot since the beginning of May thanks to the abundance of rain. According to the latest data from the National Water Prediction Service, that lake is at 1,414.85 feet as of 7 a.m. Thursday. At the beginning of the month, the lake was at 1413.7 feet. The lake is measuring at 6.75 feet below normal. The City of Wichita remains in Stage 2 of its drought plan. The conservation pool is just around 62.75%. The next drought trigger is when the conservation pool drops to 50% of its capacity. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rain helps Cheney Lake gain a half a foot of water
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The recent rain in Kansas has helped Cheney Lake rise and gain half a foot of water. According to the latest data from the National Water Prediction Service, that lake is at 1,414.25 feet as of 7 a.m. Tuesday. At the beginning of the month, the lake was at 1413.7 feet. The lake is still measuring at 7.35 feet below normal. The City of Wichita is still in Stage 2 of the drought plan. The conversation pool is just around 60%. The next drought trigger is reached when the conservation pool is at 35%-50% of its capacity. What Wichita is doing to stay out of Stage 3 of drought plan For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Overnight rain causes Elk River in McDonald County to rise
PINEVILLE, Mo. — We checked in on one of McDonald County's most popular rivers after rain soaked the Four States overnight. Campers at Elk River Floats in Pineville told us they were directed to move away from flood-prone parts of the campground because of last night's storms. Elk River was recorded at 5.09 feet around 5:15 Saturday Evening, according to the 'United States Geological Survey' water level report, and rose to 6.03 feet by 4:30 this afternoon. That's an overnight increase of almost 12 inches. The National Water Prediction Service forecasts the river will crest at 10.4 feet Tuesday morning, staying below the 13-foot action stage. You can find a link to the water levels for Elk River here. At Elk River, families and friends are enjoying their Memorial day weekend on the river and in the sun. Some took their fun to the water, splashing each other, swimming and casting their rods for some fish. While others took the land, playing basketball, wiffle ball and hitting the volleyball over the net. Families were also cooking up some traditional holiday meals. One young group of family friends telling us, they enjoyed creating more memories for the holiday. 'I've been primarily catching fish, playing Wiffle ball and chasing some geese,' said Michael Weisinger, 12-year-old. 'I've been playing volleyball. Well, football and playing games in swimming,' said Phynlee Harner, 10-year-old. 'We get to spend quality time with people that we care about. And I don't know, I like I love spending time with my family and friends. It's it's a great way to spend your holidays,' said Paisley Sherman, 14-year-old. They also enjoyed making friendships with other campers, having fun, and enjoying the outdoors. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
NKY bride's venue cancels 1 week before wedding due to flooding. How she made it work
Many a bride has tossed around the affirmation that rain on your wedding day is good luck. But what about several feet of flooding? The Greater Cincinnati region is still recovering from record flooding after the Ohio River rose to its highest level in 28 years on Monday, submerging local businesses in several feet of water, wedding venues included. The river crested at 60.79 feet Monday evening, according to the National Water Prediction Service. And over the weekend, on Saturday, floodwaters overwhelmed the river's tributaries in Northern Kentucky, when Brittany Schwartz, a local bride, was supposed to be wed at Morning View Meadows, about a mile from a flooded Licking River. Amy Walker, the upscale barn venue's co-owner, told Fox 19 she woke up to several feet of floodwaters in the reception hall on Saturday, which was already set up for Schwartz's wedding. About half of everything inside the venue was ruined. 'Definitely could have cried a lot, but we laughed because what else can you do? No tears are going to change anything except add to the flood,' Walker said. The bride-to-be and Walker waded through freezing floodwaters for hours to salvage what they could of the Schwartzs' special day. Around the same time, another local bride, Adrianna Osburg, received a phone call from Walker informing her her April 12 wedding booking would need to be cancelled. "We were expecting to possibly have our wedding inside due to the rain but the chance of the venue flooding did not cross our minds at all," Osburg told the Enquirer in an email. "I gave myself an hour to be upset over what happened but knew that we at least had a week to make plans," Osburg said, adding that her heart went out to Schwartz, a fellow flooded bride. Osburg said Walker was sincerely apologetic about the cancellation, and even offered a full refund or the option of postponing the wedding. Osburg, 24, said she and her fiancé, 27-year-old Zachary Osburg, knew that they didn't want to reschedule the wedding, so the only option was to find a new venue and find it fast. "April 12th, 2025 is actually our 6-month anniversary mark as our anniversary is on October 12th," Osburg said. "We love our vendors and some of them are booked out 2 years in advance, so we knew that we did not want to lose them being a part of our big day." An hour after Osburg learned her wedding venue was underwater, she sent out SOS messages in the Cincinnati Girl Gang and the Cincinnati Wedding Community Facebook groups. "The response from both groups was amazing, both posts had nearly 100 comments within a few hours before I turned them off. We had several venues reach out across Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana," Osburg said, adding that friends, family and even her wedding DJ, Doug Ziegler from Douglas Adam Entertainment, joined the hunt for a new venue. Crystal Raines, co-owner of The View Event Center in Williamstown, KY, happened to see Osburg's message in the Cincinnati Wedding Community group merely hours after it was posted. The next day, the Osburgs toured the venue and had a contract signed by 3:30 p.m., about 24 hours after Morning View Meadows' cancellation. "I have the most amazing vendors, every single one of them has had the 'we will make it happen' attitude," Osburg said. "I had a few sleepless nights to get things flipped to a new venue but everything has gotten done!" The bride-to-be said everything has worked out the way it should. "We knew that we were getting married on Saturday no matter where it was at. We tried to not stress and knew that it would all work out," Osburg said. Despite the complications, Osburg still gushes about Morning View Meadows and its co-owners. "Morning View Meadows was the one and only venue we toured due to falling in love with it," Osburg said. "Amy Walker and her husband Jamie built the venue themselves a couple years ago." "When talking to Amy and Jamie, they truly wanted the best for their couples and were by far some of the best people we have met during the wedding planning process," she said. The Walkers have launched a GoFundMe to help restore the venue following thousands of dollars in flood damage. "We didn't realize that flood insurance wasn't included with the insurance we have and we lost 50% of everything inside the venue and have also returned money back to brides that are not able to have their wedding at the venue due to the floods," Morning View Meadows stated on its GoFundMe page. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKY wedding venue cancels on bride after significant flood damage
