Flash flooding: Downpour hits Ocala Tuesday morning

Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner
Updated ·2 min read

Torrential downpours Tuesday morning caused flash flooding and some temporary road detours and closures in Ocala.

Here is what we know:

National Weather Service

At various points Tuesday morning, Marion County was under a flash flood warning and severe thunderstorm warning.

Skylar Larrosa, 4, leaps off of a flooded sidewalk at Tuscawilla Park in Ocala on Tuesday.
Skylar Larrosa, 4, leaps off of a flooded sidewalk at Tuscawilla Park in Ocala on Tuesday.

National National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Booth, in Jacksonville, said the rain started about 7:40 a.m. Tuesday, with the heaviest downfall from 8:30-11:30 a.m. or noon. In all, the rainfall measured 4.1 inches to 5 inches.

Cars manage the flooded road on Southwest 27th Avenue near Southwest 66th Street on Tuesday.
Cars manage the flooded road on Southwest 27th Avenue near Southwest 66th Street on Tuesday.

Road conditions

The storm wreaked havoc on Ocala roads. At 10:15 a.m., Silver Springs Boulevard was down to one lane near the downtown square. West Silver Springs Boulevard, west of South Pine Avenue, was flooding, with some sections closed.

The story was similar throughout Ocala. At 11 a.m., at 17th Street and Pine Avenue, two cars and a semitractor-trailer were disabled in the heavy storm. Parts of Pine in that area were flooding.

About 1 p.m. Tuesday, after the rain had stopped, Southeast 52nd Street east of South Pine Avenue was closed eastbound due to flooding, downed trees and disabled vehicles, according to the Ocala Police Department. Traffic was being rerouted.

Meanwhile, the 2000 block of Southwest Seventh Road was underwater. And in the 800 block of Southeast 23rd Street, near Fisher Park, water was approaching nearby homes.

Cars navigate the flooded roadway under the train trestle at Southeast Third Avenue on Tuesday.
Cars navigate the flooded roadway under the train trestle at Southeast Third Avenue on Tuesday.

Other issues

+ On Facebook, Ocala Fire Rescue posted a video of the flooded Tuscawilla Park in northeast Ocala.

"At least the ducks are having fun," one commenter observed.

+ Because of heavy rainfall, the headworks overflowed at the City of Ocala's Water Reclamation Facility #2, 4200 SE 24th St., according to a bulletin from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"The staff was able to open a bypass pipe to alleviate the amount of flow received by the headworks," the DEP bulletin said. "An estimated 35,000 gallons overflowed from the headworks. The impacted area will be sanitized with a chlorine solution."

The event happened at 10:30 a.m. "The facility received 3.8 inches of rain in under 3 hours, causing this event," the bulletin says. The city says there was no impact to the public, as everything was handled onsite.

Jim Ross contributed to this report. Austin L. Miller can be reached at austin.miller@starbanner.com

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Tuesday a.m. storm brings torrential rain to Ocala