Peace River doubles in height in 24 hours, crest expected overnight

ARCADIA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Peace River doubled in height over the past 24 hours, and a crest is expected soon, with water levels then slowly going back to normal. Officials with the De Soto County Emergency Operations Center said that will take time.ABC7 Meteorologist Megan Kennedy went out Wednesday to check on conditions along the river.According to the National Weather Service, the Peace River along State Road 70 in Arcadia rose from around 7 feet to nearly 14 feet within 24 hours. That put the river at major flood stage.“It’s going to be a lengthy time while it’s in major flood stage,” said Dennis O’Hara of the De Soto County Emergency Operations Center.O’Hara said he has never seen river flooding like this during his time in De Soto County.“The last time this occurred was in 2022 with Hurricane Ian, where it was substantially higher than what we were anticipating,” O’Hara said.At De Soto Veterans Memorial Park in Arcadia, benches, monuments and parking lots were submerged in water