A wild upper pattern with a major dip in the jet stream all the way to near the Gulf Coast, supported the perfect upper and low level environment for outstanding, record breaking rainfall. Incredible 15-20, locally 22-24 inches of rain fell within 24 hours over the Florida Panhandle, putting many communities in and around Pensacola under water. Roads washes away and homes partially collapsed due to sink holes forming beneath as the land gave way.

Here’s a cool graphic via AccuWeather’s Jesse Ferrell showing 24 hour rainfall estimates over the Southeast. Note the image indicating an unbelievable 24.40 inches of rain fell in the Pensacola suburbs.

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This kind of rain falling in such short duration, makes for scenes like this.

Here’s another close-up 24-hour Doppler estimated rainfall amounts around the Pensacola area.

How rare is TWO FEET of rain falling in Florida?

Jesse Ferrell remember’s posted on the 20″+ rains which fell during Tropical Storm Faye back in 2008. Up to 27 inches fell in Melbourne on Florida’s east coast.

It’s not just been Florida but the Mid-Atlantic region has been hit hard by up to 6 inches falling in a matter of just 2-4 hours.

Here’s the upper pattern at 500mb which delivered these biblical proportion rains.

Surface chart. Bulk of the really heavy rains is now shifting out into the Atlantic.

While the big rains flood and cause headaches up and down the soggy Eastern Seaboard, as forecasted here for several days, I also stated the record heat potential Up the West Coast in stark contrast. These highly amplified patterns bring these wild extremes on both sides of the country…

Record highs today stretched from Southern California to Seattle, WA where it hit at least 80.

Note the MUCH CALMER pattern by

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