Week of October 2, 2024
Week of October 2, 2024
The latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami has raised the stakes for a direct strike upon southeast Polk County and the Lake Wales area. Residents are strongly urged to rush preparations to completion. The 11 a.m. NHC report said that with sustained winds of 155 MPH, Hurricane Milton is continuing to approach Florida. Continued intensification is expected, and Milton should be at Category 5 this afternoon with sustained winds of 160 MPH or more, accompanied...
A slight south-eastward movement of Tropical Storm Milton could offer a small ray of hope for southeastern Polk County as the storm approaches the west coast of Florida later this week. The worst impacts of the storm are expected locally on Wednesday. The 11 a.m. statement from the National Hurricane Center in Miami noted that the center of the intensifying cyclone has been moving slowly to the east-southeast, a trend that has moved the needle on the multiple computer models...
The latest computer model runs have placed Polk County directly in the crosshairs of a potential major hurricane. Residents may wish to begin preparation for a storm. The Nat According to the 11 a.m. statement from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the area of disturbed weather in the western Gulf of Mexico is now a tropical depression, and will begin intensifying as it moves slowly northeastward over the next 24 to 36 hours before accelerating toward Florida. Arrival...
As predicted here last week, a new tropical cyclone is becoming organized in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to bring heavy rains to Florida and the Lake Wales Ridge this week. The storm is generally developing in line with the super-computer models closely followed by Lake Wales News. Those same models are now predicting the improving organization of the potential cyclone this weekend as it moves eastward toward the Florida peninsula from the western Gulf. The National...
As the nation takes account of the staggering loss of life and damage caused by Hurricane Helene, hurricane forecasters and Florida emergency managers are already casting a wary eye toward the Caribbean, where the active Central American Gyre (CAG) is in the process of generating another potential mega-storm. Florida's west coast took the worst of Helene, leaving the interior largely free of damage. Severe storm-surge that caused millions in damages to beach towns, while Polk...
Polk County and the Ridge will escape the worst effects of Hurricane Helene, but area residents should still be prepared for a blow, according to specific forecasts. Heavy rains and winds gusting to near hurricane force are also possible as the storm passes to the west. Helene, currently entering the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, is expected to charge north and northeastward as it rapidly intensifies to become a major hurricane, reaching Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale,...
Lake Hatchineha Road was closed for approximately five hours early Wednesday after a fatal crash on Lake Hatchineha Road. Polk County Fire Rescue and sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the crash at 12:26 a.m. The preliminary investigation by the PCSO's Traffic Homicide investigators determined that Douglas Fairel, Jr. of Haines City was driving a 2021 Cadillac Escalade westbound on Lake Hatchineha Road when his vehicle crossed over the center line and collided head-on with...
Polk County Utility customers will see an increase in their cost of water and sewer bills starting today. Water and wastewater rates have been increased by 6% beginning Oct. 1. According to county spokesperson Jeff Foley, "the surcharge assessed on water usage and reclaimed water usage also will increase, as will connection fees. The increases are necessary to allow the county to meet its current and future water demands." The increase is the first that Polk County Utilities...
Florida residents are urged to be alert and prepared as Hurricane Helene is likely to form rapidly and bring the threats of high winds and flooding to Florida this week. National Hurricane Center forecasters are suggesting a 90 percent chance of a cyclone growing from an area of disturbed weather over the Caribbean by Tuesday. That system is then expected to move northward through the eastern Gulf of Mexico, where rapid intensification is possible. The NHC has been predicting...
UPDATE: New information is available here: https://www.lakewalesnews.net/story/2024/09/18/news/breaking-news-hurricane-helene-expected-to-move-northward-near-florida-this-week/4475.html After a surprisingly quiet several weeks in the midst of the hurricane season, it's time for Floridians to make certain that they are prepared for a storm as the tropics begin to heat up. Forecast models are developing a low over the Caribbean that could become a significant cyclone in the...
The ongoing construction work on Park Avenue in downtown Lake Wales has had serious financial impacts on many businesses along the three-block stretch, but new assistance is being provided by the City of Lake Wales to help them survive the challenges. Restaurants, salons, and retail establishments dependent upon foot traffic are eligible to receive individual business-retention grants of $5,000 to help offset the disruptions they have faced. The Lake Wales city commission...
County residents have a final chance to recycle their scrap aluminum and steel beverage and food containers this week before the service ends and fees rise sharply under a new county waste-hauling contract. Those receiving services through city contracts are unaffected by the change. Despite the reduction in services, the new collection and disposal fee for county residents rose almost $120 this year, with more increases baked in. Last year's assessment of $144.50 became...
Careless and inattentive driving resulted in a complex crash that left ten injured Sunday evening in Lake Wales. The four-vehicle pile-up happened in two different crashes after a vehicle crossed the center line of Alturas-Babson Park Cutoff (ABC) Road, south of Lake Wales and approximately one mile west of US 27. The crash began when a 2010 Dodge Ram reportedly crossed the centerline of the two-lane road and struck a 2019 Ford F-150 pickup and a 2013 Ford Explorer at about...
According to officials of the Polk County Road and Drainage Division, Canal Road in Lake Wales will be closed beginning today, Thursday September 19 from Porter Road to Black Road. The closure is one of several that has impacted motorists across Polk County in recent weeks and months. The stretch of road is being reconstructed through a process called "full-depth reclamation" that restores the roadbed to a like-new condition, after which it will be finished with a new...
The Lake Wales market area will be losing yet another grocery option in November as the Winn-Dixie store on SR 60 East is closed to be converted to a second Aldi location. The move comes less than a year after the store was completely remodeled and updated with new products. The Lake Wales location is the latest to be converted to Aldi, and employees have been notified that they will be laid off effective November 17. Some of them had only recently been transferred to the...
UPDATE: The Media Relations Department of the Polk County School System has released a letter from McLaughlin Principal Diameshia H. Williams addressing a decision by "the administration" to remove the Exceptional Student Education Farm from the school campus. The entire text of the letter is reprinted below. A valued program that allows special needs students to participate with others in an agricultural program at a Lake Wales school is reportedly being terminated, to the...
A three-weekend “Pumpkin Patch” fundraising opportunity will allow local shoppers to enjoy raffles, apple cider, and photo ops while also supporting the non-profit group Moms of Veteran Suicide. The Red Barn Farmer's Market Frostproof and The Gravely Red Barn will be hosting the charitable organization as a fundraiser on three consecutive Fridays in October. The events will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the 11, 18, and 25. “These folks do an awesome job of...
