Jacksonville was set to get its heaviest rain and storms of the week on June 7, with showers expected to turn widespread just after 1 p.m. and really pick up after 2 p.m. By late afternoon, the system was forecast to bring wind gusts of 40 mph to 60 mph, enough to make travel messy and raise the risk of downed limbs and power lines.
Katie Garner told viewers to grab a raincoat before heading out the door, and her warning matched the timing of the day’s worst weather. The rain was expected to fall fast enough that localized flooding was possible, even though the region needed the moisture. Near Jacksonville and St. Augustine, totals could run from a half an inch to 3 inches by the end of the day.
Garner said, “Mother Nature is really packing a punch today in Jacksonville,” and added that this would be “the heaviest day of rain and storms you’re going to see all week.” The National Weather Service said there was no threat from hail or tornadoes with the system, which kept the focus on heavy rain and gusty winds rather than severe storm rotation.
That matters because the rain is coming fast in a stretch that includes Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida, where people have been waiting for a soaking. Garner said, “While we need every drop, it’s all coming at once, and that means a risk for localized flooding.” She also said showers and storms would “really pick up after 2 p.m. today,” underscoring how quickly conditions could deteriorate in the afternoon.
The heavier rain was expected to move in through tonight and into Wednesday morning before the pattern starts to ease. By Wednesday night, rain chances were expected to taper off, and conditions should clear out more on Thursday and Friday. Temperatures were due to dip into the 70s on Wednesday before climbing back into the 80s through the end of the week and into the weekend.
Then the forecast turns friendlier. Sunshine and warmer temperatures were expected by Saturday and Sunday, and it was only the second day of hurricane season with nothing brewing in the Atlantic or the Gulf. For Jacksonville, the urgent question is not whether this system will bring rain — it already is — but which streets, neighborhoods and low-lying spots end up taking the brunt of it before the dry-out begins.
