Flood warning issued for Kinchafoonee Creek

LEESBURG — Just days after their neighbors in Albany were devastated by a severe storm system that wreaked havoc across the city, Lee County residents are turning their focus on their own backyard as the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Kinchafoonee Creek.

The Lee County Emergency Management Agency issued an advisory around 1:40 p.m. Thursday stating that the NWS office in Tallahassee had issued a warning advising that portions of Lee County could face flooding as the creek continues to rise.

At 11 a.m., the NWS marker at Pinewood Road showed the Kinchafoonee had risen to 16 feet, which is 3 feet higher than its flood stage of 13 feet. The creek in that area is expected to remain at that level until at least 7 p.m.

The threat of flooding in that area likely brings back painful memories for many county residents who a little more than a year ago saw widespread flooding from both the Kinchafoonee and Muckalee creeks.

The Kinchafoonee crested at 21 feet on Christmas Day 2015, only a few inches below the 21.59-foot crest the creek experienced during major flooding in 1998. After cresting, it took several days for the waters to recede, and by that time damage was significant.

Due to the uncertainty of creek levels and the possibility of rain in the immediate forecast, the Lee County EMA is encouraging “all persons with interest along the Kinchafoonee Creek in Lee County to remain vigilant and continue monitoring the situation on the creek.”

The Weather Service is forecasting widespread rain in the metro Albany area late tonight into early Saturday, with a fast-moving cold front that will quickly send temperatures dipping to freezing and below. Forecasters said Thursday that the precipitation most likely will be in the form of rain, though there is a small chance of sleet or freezing rain developing.

Creek updates can be found online at water.weather.gov.