| Remember this was measured at the Gainesville Airport, other areas may have had more or less. Debby brings second-highest rain total to Gainesville, could worsen today By Jon Silman Staff writer Published: Monday, June 25, 2012 at 9:50 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, June 25, 2012 at 9:50 a.m . Tropical Storm Debby dumped on Gainesville the second-highest amount of rain ever recorded over one day, according to the National Weather Service. Gainesville received 6.95 inches of rain Sunday -- the highest for any June 24 and the highest for the month since rain levels first were measured in 1890. The highest amount of rain on record was Oct. 24 1938, at 7.42 inches. As for today's weather in Gainesville, a tornado watch will remain in effect until 2 p.m., but the Weather Service said if conditions continue to be questionable, the watch will be extended. Also, heavy rains and winds are expected throughout the day. Zaaron Allen, a meteorologist at the Weather Service, said there's potential for storms producing winds in excess of 60 miles an hour throughout the day. He said Tropical Storm Debby was stationary all of Sunday night. He said a system like this, with little steering from the atmosphere, could sit for days. The storm potentially could hit land in the Panhandle by midweek, but people should expect heavy rain throughout, he said. "The forecast is low confidence," he said. "We have higher confidence that it's going to be here for the whole week." In addition to the tornado warnings, flood warnings have been issued for the Santa Fe River at Fort White and Three Rivers Junction. The river at Fort White was at 21.5 feet on Monday morning and expected to flood at 24 feet Tuesday afternoon. The river at Three Rivers Junction was at 8.9 feet on Monday morning but it is expected to rise rapidly and flood at 19 feet later in the week. http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120625/ARTICLES/120629751/1182?Title=Debby-brings-second-highest-rain-total-to-Gainesville-could-worsen-today |