Nor’Easter’s Rain and Flooding Potential Forces Moving Matanzas-FPC Potato Bowl to Tonight

With a Nor’easter expected to bring between 1 and 3 inches of rain to the region starting Friday morning, the athletic departments at Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High School agreed to move the annual potato bowl from Friday to tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Matanzas’s Pirates Stadium.

The low pressure system is expected to pass over Flagler County




The football rivalry has no equal in the county, and this year carries playoff implications, at least for FPC (4-4). Matanzas (3-6) could be a spoiler. Because of weather, to ensure that referees would be available, and to have the game played in a timely way, the decision was made to move the game up rather than risk a postponement.

Tickets may only be purchased for $10 each online. No tickets will be sold at the gate. There are no refunds for tickets already purchased, though tickets purchased for Friday’s game will be honored tonight.

The storm is not a minor weather event. Its effects may be visible as early as tonight. The National Weather Service in Jacksonville has been issuing advisories for the past 36 hours, cautioning that minor tidal flooding is expected tonight (flooding of low lying areas, parks and campgrounds and normally flood prone roadways), with moderate tidal flooding Friday and Saturday in Northeast Florida (that means some flooding of structures and roads), and the potential for major tidal flooding for some beachfront locations, especially where dunes are weak and shallow.

That includes Flagler County, whose dune system, while rebuilt after Hurricanes Matthew and Irma in 2016 and 2017, has since eroded somewhat by storms and natural erosion. The peak of the event will be at high tide on Friday and Saturday.

“The St. Johns River will slosh with tidal cycles from downtown [Jacksonville] to southern Putnam county (Welaka) with alignment of strong northerly winds and high tide bringing elevated flooding potential,” the National Weather Service states. Flagler County Emergency Services says that caution extends to the Intracoastal in Flagler.

Gale conditions are likely Friday into Saturday, with rip currents likely Saturday. “Take time now to secure any lightweight items,” Flagler County Emergency Services cautions. “Persons in flood prone areas should take time to prepare for the potential of tidal flooding, especially along the Intracoastal.”