Real-time flood sensor, weather monitor installed at Banana River: Here's what it does, how it works

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Real-time flood tracking is coming to Brevard County, giving both local officials and community members a new tool to stay ahead of severe weather. The City of Cape Canaveral has partnered with WeatherSTEM to install a flood sensor and weather monitoring equipment to track storm conditions second by second.

What is the new system?

The city partnered with Florida-based company WeatherSTEM to deploy advanced weather monitoring stations and specialized water level sensors. The primary sensor is installed directly in the Banana River near the Banana River Park public dock to track water level conditions before, during, and after it rains.

At the City of Cape Canaveral Community Center, a weather station has been installed with high-tech instruments to keep watch on conditions from above.

Together, these devices monitor environmental factors like heat, wind, pressure, solar radiation and rainfall to track current conditions and forecast for the future.

What does it do?

The system continuously bounces radar into the Banana River to measure water height in real time, helping city leaders and emergency teams predict when conditions might deteriorate.

"They’re going to be sitting there in real time watching that water rise and fall," said Craig Ramsden who’s the director of client strategy at WeatherSTEM.

Beyond tracking tidal movement and river levels, the overhead station measures exact rainfall totals to identify hyper-local flooding risks.

"How much rainfall each area is taking on and how much water they’re holding, which then tells us who is at the highest risk of flooding," Ramsden said.

For municipal officials, having second-by-second data transforms how they can prepare and dispatch resources during severe events.

"There seems to be a storm surge building up, or there is a storm surge building up, we need to do XYZ right now," said Zachary Eichholz, community and economic development director for Cape Canaveral. "Storms are all about knowing what is going on in the immediate moment and responding to what you need, and even being able to respond before the actual incident occurs."

Here's how to sign up

People in Cape Canaveral can access the weather data via the WeatherSTEM app or website:

1. Download the WeatherSTEM app
2. Visit the live local dashboard: brevard.weatherstem.com/fswncanaveralcc.

Cape Canaveral leaders hope to add more sensors and weather stations in the future. People can also sign up for weather alerts, such as rising water and flood risks, severe weather or lightning alerts, rainfall and wind advisories, and heat index concerns.

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