A 1-IN-1,000-YEAR FLOOD: Historic Rains Swamp Florida, Shut Schools, and Push Rivers Toward Major Flood Stage

By Staff Reports
BREVARD COUNTY — It was the kind of rain Florida almost never sees. The storm system that parked over the state on November 1 dumped up to 24.69 inches of rain on Grant-Valkaria — a downpour forecasters are calling a 1-in-1,000-year event — and the water is still working its way through Florida’s rivers, roads, and neighborhoods days later.
Governor DeSantis declared a state of emergency under Executive Order 26-227, first covering Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties, with the order later expanded as the flooding spread.
The water shut down classrooms across the Treasure Coast and beyond. On Thursday, November 5, ALL St. Lucie County and Indian River County public schools were closed, and six Palm Beach County campuses shut their doors as well: Egret Lake, Grassy Waters, and Sandpiper Shores elementary schools, Washington Elementary, Jeaga Middle, and West Boca High.
And it is not over when the rain stops. The Peace River is expected to crest at major flood stage, which means riverfront communities in DeSoto and Hardee counties could be dealing with high water well after the skies clear — flooded roads, swamped yards, and days of cleanup.
A 1-in-1,000-year rain does not mean it happens once every thousand years. It means rain this extreme has roughly a one-in-a-thousand chance in any given year — and this year, Florida drew the short straw. For families in the hardest-hit counties, the numbers matter less than the soaked homes, the closed schools, and the question of how long the water stays.
Join the conversation: Did the flooding hit your neighborhood? Tell us what you’re seeing where you live in the comments.
Sources: National Weather Service via Florida Today and Weatherboy, TCPalm, 211 Palm Beach