Below-average rainfall in October brought much needed relief

After Hurricane Ian drenched the central Florida region, below-average rainfall across the St. Johns River Water Management District was a welcome relief to those still experiencing flooding.

On Tuesday, a full report outlining October’s hydrologic conditions was presented at the District’s Governing Board meeting. Highlights include:

Rainfall

• Districtwide, October rainfall averaged 1.28 inches, which is 2.73 inches below the average for the month.
• Countywide rainfall totals ranged from 0.4 inches in Alachua County to 2.6 inches in Flagler.
• Districtwide, the cumulative rainfall total for the past 12 months is 55.35 inches, which is 4.34 inches above the long-term average.
• The highest 12-month totals are in the Orlando to Daytona region, with Seminole County receiving 71 inches of rain this year and Volusia, Orange, and Flagler counties all exceeding 60 inches.

Groundwater 

• Upper Floridan aquifer conditions (groundwater levels) at the end of October were mostly in the high range or normal range across the District.
• Groundwater levels expressed as a single districtwide index is at the 85th percentile districtwide. This means that since 1980, aquifer levels have been higher than they currently are about 15 percent of the time. 

Spring flows

• The mean monthly flow at Silver Springs increased to 684 cubic feet per second (cfs), or 442 mgd, which is a 42 cfs increase from September’s mean and remains in the normal range for this time of year.
• The Blue Springs monitoring station in Volusia County was offline due to the hurricane-related high-water levels and data is unavailable for the month of October. However, the station is back online, and an update should be available next month.
• At Rock Springs, the monthly mean flow increased 5 cfs to 67 cfs (43 mgd), which is in the high range for October.
• Mean monthly flow at Wekiwa Springs increased to 72 cfs (47mgd), which is in the high range for the time of year. 

To learn more about rainfall totals and other hydrologic data collected, visit www.sjrwmd.com.    

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About the St. Johns River Water Management District

St. Johns River Water Management District staff are committed to ensuring the sustainable use and protection of water resources for the benefit of the people of the District and the State of Florida. The St. Johns River Water Management District is one of five districts in Florida managing groundwater and surface water supplies in the state. The District encompasses all or part of 18 northeast and east-central Florida counties. District headquarters are in Palatka, and staff also are available to serve the public at service centers in Apopka, Jacksonville, and Palm Bay. 

Connect with us on Twitter at @SJRWMD, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For more information about the District, please visit www.sjrwmd.com.