No hurricanes have been named since Debby, but August 2024 was still one of the wettest months ever! – Local Community Updates | Weather

While I was engaged on the tales for this difficulty, I wanted to make a number of journeys to The Grill at Morris Bridge and Johnny C’s Italian Eatery on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd., and I found what seemed to be a brand new characteristic on my iPhone’s “Maps” app. For the first time that I can keep in mind, the Maps app gave me different routes to take from our Silversaw Apartments to those eating places to be able to “Avoid Flood Warning.” 

Wait, what? I do know we’ve had an excellent-wet final a number of weeks (extra on this beneath), but I don’t even keep in mind being cautioned to “Avoid a Flood Warning” even after some of our hurricanes hit — and the solely main named storm to hit Florida, which wasn’t even that dangerous right here, was Hurricane Debby, which got here ashore as a Category 1 hurricane close to Steinhatchee, FL — greater than 150 miles north of right here — and hit our space with actually solely delicate tropical storm-drive winds on Aug. 5. 

Since then, sure there have been many days with heavy rains and I noticed tons of reviews of main flooding in South Tampa, but only a few main roads right here that obtained flooded — and I have carried out lots of native driving over the previous a number of weeks and haven’t seen any such flooding. 

Of course, I additionally haven’t pushed the roads via New Tampa’s communities, staying totally on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Cross Creek Blvd., Morris Bridge Rd. (which I might suppose can be the almost certainly to flood) and County Line Rd., but these have been the exact streets my iPhone Maps app was telling me to keep away from. 

I was most surprised when the app’s “Suggested Route” to The Grill a pair of days earlier than our press time instructed me to take I-75 north from the S.R. 56 exit (the place I dwell) and take S.R. 54 east to Morris Bridge Rd. earlier than turning south in the direction of Cross Creek Blvd. That journey, nevertheless, would have taken me 35 minutes to drive, moderately than the 21 minutes the quickest route supplied to me (I-75 south to the BBD exit, north on BBD to Cross Creek Blvd. and east in the direction of Morris Bridge) would take. 

And, these varieties of go-approach-out-of-my-approach routes have been supplied to me just about day-after-day for the previous two weeks or so. Of course, I at all times took the quickest routes as a substitute — and by no means noticed a single flooded highway! 

So, what’s occurring? Has my Maps app abruptly taken up consuming? 

I actually have no thought, but I assumed I might a minimum of try and look into it and ask you, our devoted readers, whether or not or not you’ve been coping with flooding in or round your New Tampa communities. Here’s what I discovered: 

Near-Record Rainfall 

Spectrum Bay News 9 posted a chart on its web site that stated that Tampa had skilled its second or third highest rainfall whole ever in August 2024, with 17.78 inches of rain, or lower than an inch lower than the metropolis’s all-time file August rainfall of 18.59” set again in 1949. The article that accompanied the chart stated that “Average rainfall in a typical August is around 8 to 9 inches. There were some unofficial observations with up to 29 inches during August!” 

Of course, the official rainfall numbers are taken at Tampa International Airport, greater than 20 miles from the southern tip of New Tampa in Tampa Palms, but still, how a lot totally different might the rainfall right here actually have been and the way does it clarify my Maps app attempting to get me to drive miles out of my approach to be able to “Avoid Flood Warnings” each single day? 

As somebody who hasn’t needed to drive younger youngsters to highschool for a pair of a long time, I can solely think about how tough it’s been driving to and from faculty along with your youngsters on this variety of climate, particularly with all of the distracted drivers there are on the roads nowadays. 

In different phrases, please take additional care on the market, whether or not you have youngsters or not, and irrespective of the place you might be heading. And please, don’t attempt to zip your approach via for those who do consider there’s lots of standing water. It’s by no means occurred to me, but I have identified loads of individuals who have flooded their engines and stranded their autos doing that. 

But, based mostly on what I’ve seen thus far, please take these “Avoids Flood Warnings” messages on no matter app you’re utilizing with a grain of salt. 

It simply variety of appears like the boy who cried “wolf” to me. If I preserve by no means having to take care of flooding after I’m being warned day-after-day, what is going to occur the one time I don’t heed the warning after I ought to have? 

And, simply because we haven’t actually needed to take care of a significant storm throughout this yr’s hurricane season but, please don’t assume that our space is out of the woods in relation to main storms. The subsequent few weeks symbolize the peak of the season, so preserve these flashlights and transportable turbines at the prepared, preserve stocked up on potable water and non-perishable meals and do every thing else you possibly can to maintain your loved ones protected. 

I'm genuinely to listen to from any of you who have already handled flooding in your New Tampa neighborhood the previous few weeks. If you have, you possibly can both electronic mail me at [email protected] or ship me a message on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook web page! I'll run any messages I get — whether or not you’ve skilled flooding or not, in our subsequent difficulty.