A complex of thunderstorms stalled and dumped unrelenting rain over the western side of the panhandle overnight, totaling up to 20 inches in some spots. The flooding was the most severe near Pensacola, where dozens of roads were closed and cars submerged.
Even major highways such as I-10 were not spared, as FDOT was forced to close a section of the highway over the Pensacola Bay.
As the rains kept falling Wednesday morning, whole sections of some roads were washed away and Escambia County officials confirmed at least two fatalities were attributed to the floods.
The same system that caused the extreme amounts of rainfall in the panhandle will be slowly moving east today, likely triggering a new round of thunderstorms across inland areas of the peninsula.
The atmospheric environment is slightly more favorable today for a few storms to become severe, capable of causing wind damage or spinning up an isolated tornado.
The highest chances (within the “slight” risk) are near and east of a line from Jacksonville to Ocala to Orlando. The storms will slowly drift northeast toward the Atlantic coast by early this evening and should weaken considerably around sunset.
You can follow Jeff Huffman on Twitter @huffmanweather.
