HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A flood warning has been issued for the Alafia River at Lithia until Saturday evening.
FLOOD | Flood warning issued for Alafia River at Lithia. #flwx @abcactionnews #gmtb pic.twitter.com/d1dLMTSVal
— Greg Dee (@GregDeeWeather) May 30, 2018
At approximately 9 p.m. Wednesday, the stage was 11.1 feet. The Alafia's flood stage is 13.0 feet.
The Alafia River is forecast to rise above flood stage by early Thursday and continue to rise to near 14.7 feet by early Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay.
The river is expected to fall below flood stage by Saturday early afternoon.
The National Weather Service says at 15 feet, additional residences downstream of State Road 640 bridge begin to flood.
At 13 feet, River Drive and Squirrel Run Way downstream of State Road 640 are completely covered by water.
At 12 feet, water begins to affect River Drive and Squirrel Run Way downstream of State Road 640.
A spokesperson for Hillsborough County tells us they are prepared to close roads if needed by Thursday morning, but they don't expect the flooding to impact homes at this point.
Michele Martin still worries though, as more rain fell Wednesday.
"It's very stressful, knowing you may end up losing all your stuff in your home," she said, "your clothes, your furniture, your bedding."
Martin tells ABC Action News they had water up to their knees last summer after Hurricane Irma.
Her family tells us they have moved their most personal belongings into storage just in case.
"What do you do," she said. "We don’t have nowhere to go."
