Overview
Florida's Space Coast was hit by extreme rain Sunday, Nov. 1 to Monday, Nov. 2. Parts of southern Brevard County received more than 20 inches of rain.
Palm Bay, Brevard County's largest city, was among the hardest hit. Turkey Creek overflowed and washed out bridges, sending rushing water across roads and into nearby neighborhoods. Port Malabar Boulevard was underwater, and crews used boats to reach residents trapped in their homes.
Cotality's Flood Risk Score shows a band of extreme risk following Turkey Creek and its tributaries inland from the Indian River Lagoon, with high to very high risk across low-lying neighborhoods to the south.
The score measures flood risk for each property and looks beyond federal flood zone boundaries, which helps identify homes that face flood risk even when they are not in a mapped floodplain.
Figure 1: Cotality Flood Risk Score around Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, Florida
Source: Cotality Riskmeter, 2026
Water with nowhere to go
The rain fell on a coastline that was already full. King tides from the week before had raised water levels in the Indian River Lagoon, its canals, and the groundwater. The recent rain caused stormwater systems to further bac up into the surrounding neighborhoods.
"A slow-moving front parked over the Space Coast and pulled deep Atlantic moisture onshore for hours," said Curtis McDonald, director of product management and meteorologist at Cotality. "Rain like that would cause flooding anywhere. But with the lagoon and groundwater already high from king tides, the water had nowhere to drain, so it collected in streets and homes far from the shoreline."
In nearby West Melbourne, police reported flooded homes along the Hollywood Boulevard corridor. Heavy rain also flooded parts of the Treasure Coast and South Florida, including Port St. Lucie and Riviera Beach. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in seven counties, and polling places were moved in eight counties for Election Day.
What this means for insurers
Much of the damage is likely to come from heavy rain falling inland rather than from storm surge. Standard homeowners’ policies exclude flood, so homeowners outside mapped flood zones who don't carry flood insurance may face uninsured losses.
Forecasters expect a strong El Niño to bring more frequent heavy rain events to Florida this winter. Cotality will continue monitoring this event and may provide updates when available.
