JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Heavy downpours that pushed through Duval and surrounding counties early Sunday ahead of a cold front dropped a record amount of rainfall in Jacksonville and Gainesville.
The storms produced flash flooding in several parts of Duval County. The National Weather Service reported that one car was stuck in 1-2 feet of standing water on North Laura Street. There were also reports of flooding in Arlington and the Spring Glenn area.
At 5 p.m., the NWS reported 2.39 inches had fallen at Jacksonville International Airport, breaking the record for rainfall on July 30 that had stood since 1974. The Weather Service reported that 1.9 inches fell in Gainesville over 24 hours, also breaking the day rainfall record.
The Weather Authority reported the Westside and the Southside were even harder hit, receiving 3-4 inches of rain since midnight.
IMAGES: Soggy Sunday morning
Golfair Boulevard near the Interstate 95 on-ramp was substantially flooded. People in the area, such as Jordache Hunter, said the road floods every time there's a heavy downpour. She recommends that people stop and drive the other way.
“If you don't have a big truck or a big SUV, you're going to get stuck,” Hunter said.
News4Jax reporter Allyson Henning saw several drivers heading down Main Street on the Northside who tried plowing through the floods only to stall their cars.
“The water hit my car and it started slowing down,” Cleveland Walker said after stalling his car. “I tried to get in the middle (of the road) and it just shut down."
The flooding was also a headache for people who live in the Arlington neighborhood. Residents told News4Jax that people come speeding down Woolery Drive causing the floodwater to go up into their yards and into their homes.
“We have people that think it's fine to drive their four-wheel-drive trucks through here and splash water into our houses and our properties and driving up into our lawns to get out of the water and destroying our homes,” Wooley Drive resident Dennis Thibault said. “It's just a shame we should have to deal with this.”
Thibault said Woolery Drive floods badly six to eight times a year, and every time neighbors come out to protect their property using pipes to keep cars off their lawns. He's asking drivers that come through the area to turn around and find another way.
“There's no sense destroying your vehicle and destroying people’s property just because you're in that much of a hurry,” Thibault said.
News4Jax chief meteorologist John Gaughan said while the passing front caused headaches Sunday, it will be followed by a few unseasonably pleasant days.
"The silver lining to our morning weather woes will be well-below normal temperatures this week, with afternoon highs only around 83° and the entire week seeing afternoon highs in the mid-to-upper 80s," Gaughan said.