April showers do bring May flowers, but they also bring flooded roads, sloppy dirt roads and high water lines.
The Madison County Road and Bridge Department has closed off six roads in the Pinetta area due to the high floodwaters after the recent downpour of rain that has caused the Withlacoochee River to swell.
The closed roads are: NE Pineapple St. (west from SR 145 to address 1051), NE Oak Hill Rd. (east from SR 145 to NE Rue Dr.), NE Polyanthus Ave. (entire road), NE Fir St. (entire road), NE Belleville Rd. (from NE Hickory Grove to the Belleville bridge) and NE River Park Rd. (entire road).
As of Thursday, April 7 at 7 a.m., the Withlacoochee River, near Pinetta, had risen to an 80.64 stage marker and was expected to make crest. Last month, on Wednesday, March 9, the river, at this same location, was at marker 57.28, compared to the current marker of 80.64.
At the County Road 141 bridge near Lee, the waters had risen to a 49.70 marker as of April 7. On Wednesday, March 9, the river waters at this location were at stage 36.69.
For Cherry Lake, very little change has been seen in the water levels from Sunday, April 3 to April 7. On April 3, Cherry Lake was at a 153.27 marker and on April 7, the waters had actually receded to the 153.20 marker; the marker is not too far off from the Wednesday, March 9 reading of the lake at 152.75.