The Myakka River at Myakka River State Park reached 7.2 feet Thursday, Oct. 15, and was expected to crest at that level overnight, matching a high not recorded since Dec. 28, 2002.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Tampa Bay office extended a flood warning for the park through Saturday evening, Oct. 17, according to a flood statement issued at 9:27 p.m. Thursday. The river stood 0.2 feet above its 7.0-foot flood stage at that reading.

The NWS projected the river would crest at 7.2 feet just after midnight Friday, Oct. 16, then fall below flood stage early Saturday afternoon. 10 Tampa Bay reported the warning Thursday, Oct. 15, noting the NWS expects the river to drop below flood stage Saturday morning. The NWS statement itself projects early Saturday, Oct. 17, afternoon.

A flood warning means flooding is imminent or already occurring, according to the NWS.

The flooding is not new. WWSB reported Oct. 9 that the NWS had already extended a flood warning for the same stretch of river. At that point the river was also reading 7.2 feet, with the warning in effect through Friday, Oct. 9. Recent heavy rainfall kept water levels elevated, the NWS said, and the agency has renewed the warning multiple times since.

The NWS classified the current flooding as minor. But the margin is thin. At 7.3 feet, picnic areas and adjacent parking lots at the state park begin to flood. Thursday's 7.2-foot reading sat just a tenth of a foot below that threshold.

The agency urged drivers near the park to turn around if they encounter flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles, the NWS said, and motorists should not drive around barricades or through standing water. The agency also urged caution near riverbanks.

Residents can monitor updated river levels and flood forecasts through the NWS at weather.gov/safety/flood.