There was little activity yesterday at the Highbanks Marina on the St. Johns River in Volusia County, Florida. Normally this area is packed on a Sunday afternoon. Tropical Storm Debby sent copious amounts of rainfall across the area Sunday sending boaters searching for other pursuits.
I didn't think it was raining as hard as it was when I set out to walk down to the landing at the St. Johns. By the time I got there I was soaked despite using a large umbrella for cover.
We received about 4.00 inches (101.6 mm) of rain this afternoon from the storm. It was all welcome rain. We could use many more inches to refill dry lakes and to enhance drastically reduced spring flows in East Central Florida
READ ABOUT FLORIDA'S ENDANGERED
SILVER SPRING HERE
I enjoyed my time in the rain. My only worry was for my cameras and my iPhone. By the time I headed back up the hill from the river I had removed my shirt and wrapped all my electronics therein for safe keeping.
Above: Looking south toward Lake Monroe along the St. Johns River at Highbanks.
Below: Looking north at an unusually deserted St. Johns River at Highbanks
toward Dutchman's Bend.
toward Dutchman's Bend.
The current forecast is for much more rain from Tropical Storm Debby which has stalled in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (below). The storm currently appears significantly degraded in satellite and radar imagery as a sharp mid-level dry intrusion has worked its way into the center of the cyclone and eroded all of the inner core of deep convection.
The forecast is for the aforementioned deep dry slot to gradually moisten over the next 48 hours as deep moisture and instability currently over the Florida peninsula advects westward into the inner core of the storm. The official intensity forecast brings Debby to nearly hurricane strength in 48 hours.
Torrential rains (click on the graphic to enlarge) are forecast for the Panama City area where the National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center currently forecasts over 23 additional inches (601.98 mm) of rain to fall (graphic above). For our drought-ravaged area of East Central Florida an additional 6-8 inches (150-200 mm) are predicted over the next 5 days.