JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Locally heavy rainfall and high winds that may gust 40-50 mph Saturday night have prompted a Weather Authority Alert, possibly stretching into Sunday morning.
Press play above to watch Meteorologist Erica Lopez with the latest
LIVE RADAR: Tracking showers ahead of heavy weekend rain, strong winds from Gulf low
The rain will develop Saturday afternoon and increase in coverage throughout the day. The heaviest rain comes overnight with a low potential for -- thunderstorms. An isolated tornado can’t be ruled out but the models give little indications the weather will favor that type of thunderstorm.
Local areas will see between 2-4 inches of rain with some areas receiving up to 6 inches.
What We Know: Saturday and Sunday morning are going to be wet, very wet at times -- hunker down type of rain. Widespread rainfall totals are expected to be in the 3-5 inch range with 6 inches possible. A Flood Watch is posted for much of the area due to these rainfall amounts.
What We’re Watching: Compared to yesterday, models are now in agreement in an eastward shift across north Florida which lowers the chance of severe weather for our area. A track farther west would increase the instability favoring tornadoes which is not in the forecast.
The Good News: Based on current models and timing, we can expect less rain for the Jaguars’ “Sunday Night Football” game against the Ravens, which kicks off at 8:20 p.m. at EverBank Stadium. It will be cold and windy with temps in the upper 50s.
Officials from the mayor’s office and emergency management told News4JAX on Friday they are keeping an eye out for what happens but right now there are no extra preparations underway.
In the Hogan’s Creek neighborhood, an area that typically sees flooding, there was already some flooding on Friday afternoon. This is also an area that the city is looking at making changes to keep flooding from happening, but it’s going to take them some time.
Another area that traditionally floods is the area around McCoys Creek, but changes have been made so it may no longer be a problem. The city has closed McCoys Creek Boulevard and that has allowed the water to spread out. Therefore, when those rains and floodwaters come, it has a place to go and is no longer a problem for motorists and for people who live in the area.
In San Marco, another area that traditionally floods, work is underway to add another pump station to help clear the water when the flooding occurs.