Pensacola sees 13th highest all-time daily rainfall total in just 6 hours
Pensacola received as much as 12-16 inches of rainfall in the past 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall totals provided by the Pensacola International Airport measured 9.23 inches, marking the 13th-highest all-time daily total ever recorded and the third-highest for June, according to William Schmitz of the Southeast Regional Climate Center.
Pensacola City Hall and Pensacola High School measured 11.56 inches and 10.02 inches of rainfall over nine hours, respectively.
Pensacola's highest single-day rainfall total happened in April 2014
The highest single-day total occurred during historic rainfall that happened in April 2014 that caused significant flooding throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The National Weather Service's official account of the April 2014 flood estimates that more than 20 inches of rain fell at the Pensacola International Airport in 48 hours from April 28 to April 30. But that's only an estimate as a power outage during the storm forced the weather service to rely on radar readings to estimate the rainfall.
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Two years after the floods, Escambia County estimated that 22 inches of rain fell within 29 hours, putting the event between a 100-year and 200-year flood.
A 100-year rain event for much of the Pensacola area is defined as 16 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, meaning there's a 1% chance each year that 16 inches will occur in a 24-hour period.
Pensacola is expecting another round of storms
Storms have continued across the area this morning, with additional severe storms possible starting at 4 p.m. through tonight. These severe storms are capable of producing damaging winds of 60+ mph, golf ball size hail or larger, and tornadoes.
Escambia County Emergency Management officials have reported widespread and significant flash flooding in the vicinity of West Pensacola, Warrington, and Gulf Breeze. Numerous roadways remain flooded with water entering several structures.
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"Rain showers continue to develop within the warned area and it will not take much additional rainfall to exacerbate the ongoing flooding," the weather service tweeted.
Due to the Thursday evening and early Friday morning severe storms, the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center is activating to a Level Two beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, June 16.
How many inches of rain has Pensacola had in 2023?
Pensacola has had over 33 inches of rain as of 3 a.m. on June 16, according to the National Weather Service.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola rainfall totals hit 13th-highest all-time daily total
