Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The chance of severe weather from Hurricane Idalia is dropping rapidly this evening as the storm continues on a steady northward track, now advancing at 16 mph. Precautions are still advised for possible gusty winds and heavy rains overnight but the storm center is expected to stay well away, moving nearest to Florida's Gulf Coast overnight but remaining some 200 miles west of the Pinellas County coast. The 5:00 pm update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami actually...
Precautions are advised for strong winds and heavy rains due to the approach of Hurricane Idalia, still expected to move near Florida's Gulf Coast overnight on Wednesday. The 11:00 am, update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami indicates that the center of the storm is still on a generally northward track of five degrees, indicating a slight eastward movement. Any increased eastward adjustment in the course would raise the potential impacts of the storm in the east Pol...
The threat of a direct strike from Hurricane Idalia on east Polk and the Lake Wales Ridge area continues to diminish this morning as the storm has continued on a northerly track with no sign of a dreaded turn to the east. That much-feared jog would bring the storm ashore on Florida's populous west coast rather than the sparsely-populated Big Bend area. Nevertheless, precautions continue in Polk County for anticipated tropical storm-force winds and the possibility for heavy...
The 5:00 pm update from the National Hurricane Center contains some positive news for the Lake Wales area as the most recent model runs for future movements of Tropical Storm Idalia trended very slightly to the west, which would keep the center of the storm away from the central Florida coastline, aiming it instead for the sparsely-populated Big Bend area of the Gulf Coast. On the cautionary side, however, is an increased expectation of rapid intensification, assuring that it...
A significant shift in weather patterns in both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean basins has increased chances of tropical storm development that could potentially threaten Florida and the Lake Wales Ridge area. The Atlantic hurricane season is heating up just as the historical peak weeks of the six-month period approach. Models are now showing an increased likelihood of storms that could affect Florida. Water temperatures in the Atlantic basin are at record levels, as is the tot...
As the 19th anniversary of the devasting impact of Hurricane Charley approaches on August 13, many Ridge area residents turn a wary eye on the tropics. Despite "super-heated" waters in most of the Atlantic basin the 2023 hurricane season has, so far, remained a no-show. A global weather shift may be the cause. A phenomenon called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO, features alternating waves of colder or warmer waters in the eastern Pacific. It has huge influence on...
After a sputtering start to the expected summer rainy season, a wetter pattern may soon take hold over the Lake Wales Ridge area, but it could open the door for a busier Hurricane season as well. The deadly "heat dome" that has baked much of the nation and lingered for months was caused by a static pattern of mid-level winds that is finally breaking down. The unusual atmospheric traffic-jam in the west-to-east flow of weather has caused Florida to fall under a regime of strong...
A relatively dry "monsoon" season has left many long-time residents wondering where all the rain has gone, but also glad to see the lack of tropical storm development. Now at last it appears that there may be more normal summer rains on tap for the Ridge area, coming without the immediate threat of hurricanes. The forecasts for coming days cite unusually high levels of moisture in the air, with precipitable water readings of more than two inches, which can often lead to...
A week of wet weather is ahead for Florida as forecast models show a strong upper-level low persisting over the area all week. Waves of strong storms are expected to propagate from the Gulf of Mexico as southwest winds draw up deep tropical moisture. Forecast models are showing as much as five inches of rain over portions of the peninsula, but local totals can vary widely. The winds 15,000 to 20,000 above the surface feet will be circling in a strong counter-clockwise spin,...
Polk County Emergency Management has release the "Polk County Public Shelters" maps for 2023, revealing that there remains only a single shelter to serve the nearly 100,000 residents of Southeast Polk County. Spook Hill Elementary, at 321 Dr. J. A. Wiltshire Ave East in Lake Wales, is the only shelter in a broad area that Includes Dundee, Frostproof, Babson Park, Nalcrest, and other area communities. The 2023 map includes 47 shelters, including three "Special Needs Shelters"...
An early-morning fire that left Lake Wales firefighters battling the blaze until dawn left a gaping hole in a local apartment building, and in the lives of 23 residents of the building. At least eight units appear to have been heavily affected by flames, smoke, and water. The hours of flames burned away much of the roof of the building, leaving melted siding and charred timbers The American Red Cross is currently providing assistance to nine families, a spokesperson for the...
It's raining hard. You need to get to an important appointment. You're halfway to your destination when you hit a roadblock. The intersection is flooded, wind gusts have downed electrical wires and there's no end in sight. You have no choice but to return home, where there's no electricity. Scenarios like this-and much worse-are playing out in communities around the country. Climate change is causing more destructive conditions nationwide, turning every street into a...
City action may at last be pending against a long-derelict eyesore property that confront thousands of travelers each day passing by on Scenic Highway. The former "Five Points" Shell station at the intersection of Scenic, Fourth Street and Polk Avenue has been abandoned for nearly two decades and has been through a number of ownership changes, including two different tax deed sales in 2015 and 2021. The property has been repeatedly battered by hurricanes, and was damaged in...
Hurricane Ian is estimated to have caused more than $60 billion in private insured losses in Florida, effectively making it the second-largest disaster loss event on record, according to the industry trade group Insurance Information Institute. While Lake Wales residents dodged a bullet when it came to the severity of the late 2022 hurricane, many throughout Polk County still felt the impact. From how Ian has shed a light on hurricane preparation to what Lake Wales residents...
Thursday was an exciting day for both students and administrators of Lake Wales' McLaughlin Middle/High School as they broke ground for a new $15 million gymnasium, and welcomed back former student Amar'e Stoudemire to give a keynote address. Stoudemire brought a message of encouragement to students hoping to follow his success as a "student athlete. "Hard work" was the repeated theme he share. Highlighting the need for education as well as athletics, he proudly announced his...
Almost 10 weeks after Hurricane Ian struck Polk County on September 28, large piles of storm debris remain piled along some Polk County roads. Despite complaints, some residents' frustrations are turning to anger directed at the county. While cities have move promptly to remove the heaps of limbs and branches, Polk County has struggled to maintain service for residents. During the same time frame a break-down in service for even normal household waste resulted in the Polk...
The historic Crystal Lake will Apartments at 282 East Park Avenue are expected to undergo extensive remodeling and exterior refurbishment after their purchase by the Lake Wales Care Center. The 100-year-old building has been vacant for about three years. The purchase price was discounted to $340,000, according to Antonio Spagnolo of Bright Trust Realty, in recognition of some damage caused during the passage of Hurricane Ian in September. Both the purchase price and the...
Frustration among Polk County residents in the Lake Wales area spread this week to include the Board of County Commissioners, who have been deluged with complaints from residents about missed collections of trash. The issue is only compounded by the mountains of yard waste still remaining on area streets in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in early October. County Commissioner Bill Braswell introduced the motion to declare an emergency after hearing complaints of up to...
One-time Hurricane Nicole passed over the Lake Wales area this morning, with the broad center of the storm positioned directly over the city at 7:00 am today. Despite gusty winds and steady rains, few serious impacts have been reported so far. Once again, forecasts from the National Hurricane Center have proven uncannily accurate in predicting the movement of the storm, from predictions of its formation three days before evidence was seen, to its entire unusual course. Nicole...
The early morning forecast from the National Hurricane Center confirms that once Sub-Tropical Storm Nicole is transitioning to a Tropical Storm, and is likely to reach Hurricane strength as it moves through the northern Bahamas before impacting Florida's east coast. The change has implications for the Lake Wales area. Still retaining the extremely-broad wind field of an extra-tropical system, Nicole is now developing an inner core of strong winds, which will likely bring a...
The approach of Storm Nicole has many Lake Wales area residents on edge, but this system is unlikely to be much like what we would normally expect from a hurricane.. As a "sub-tropical" storm Nicole has a much different structure, and the location of the exact center of the system will make little or no difference in regards to impacts. Sub-tropical storms typically lack the intense inner core and eye-wall structure found in hurricanes, instead dispersing their intensity over...
Despite the arrival of dry autumn-like weather, unseasonable warmth has left the door open for possible tropical storm development, and forecasters are now keeping an eye on the potential for a rainy, windy spell for the state of Florida. For several days long-range weather models have been depicting a new low forming over the northeastern Caribbean and south-west Atlantic before drifting over the Bahamas and approaching the east coast of Florida. That path alone would make...
Polk County's Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is open and ready to provide assistance with FEMA applicant services, SBA, Housing, Department of Children and Family, and Hazard Mitigation. Residents applying for disaster assistance caused by Hurricane Ian must have this information available when applying: •Your address with zip code •Condition of your damaged home •Insurance information, if available •Social Security number •Phone number where you can be contacted •Address...
Polk County's contracted debris haulers have been working seven days a week, from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., since Oct. 3 to clean up Hurricane Ian's debris. In 15 days of cleanup, AshBritt's haulers have transported 6,745 loads to debris management sites, according to Polk County officials. So far, 75,000 tons (301,234 cubic yards) of debris has been recorded. Currently, with approximately 100 units on the road in Polk County each day, haulers are collecting between 21,000 and 24,000 c...
A civic organization working to re-create a historic landscaping plan in Lake Wales is seeking community help. Lake Wales Heritage is a non-profit group working to re-plant the 1930 landscape plan created by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. "We need to find some helpies," said Heritage director and volunteer Tish Sheesley, citing the several projects the group is tackling. Alongside the tree-planting effort, the organization is launching an educational program for middle school stude...
