BROOKSVILLE - Foul weather, including torrential rainfall and high winds, knocked down power lines, flooded streets and low-lying areas and even caused a tractor semitrailer accident on Interstate 75 on Tuesday.
The downpour coupled with low visibility was blamed for the semi's accident on I-75, which caused the shutdown of the southbound lanes for more than one hour Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The accident, which occurred 4 miles north of the State Road 50 interchange, delayed rush hour traffic until 7:40 a.m., the FHP report said.
The early morning accident was a precursor for the wet, soggy day, during which 4.6 inches of rain fell at the Hernando County Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
The fast-moving storm developed last week in the Pacific and traveled east about 35-40 mph from California and Texas toward the Gulf Coast. The same storm was blamed for hundreds of traffic accidents, flight delays and mudslides in Southern California earlier this week.
As storms surged eastward, they were accompanied by a cool front and warm, moist air - conditions favorable for the formation of tornadoes. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch until 4 p.m. Tuesday. However, no tornadoes touched down in Hernando County, said Frank Alsheimer, a meteorologist from the service's Ruskin office. The National Weather Service later announced a severe thunderstorm warning for southeastern Hernando County at 12:15 p.m. after damaging winds were spotted moving east about 14 miles northeast of Dade City. Weather spotters also reported 50-mph winds at U.S. 41 and County Line Road, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong winds toppled trees and downed power lines in Lake Lindsey, Masaryktown and elsewhere and caused scattered blackouts throughout the county.
Progress Energy spokesman Rick Janka said work crews battled the elements to restore electricity to 300 to 450 customers. By 12:40 p.m., power had been restored to about two-thirds of the residences, Janka said.
But power company crews were not the only ones to brave the February downpour.
Hernando County spokeswoman Brenda Frazier said county utility and public works employees handled two to three times as many calls as usual from residents with water in their yards and debris blocking storm drains.
Meanwhile, county officials monitored water levels along the coastline and floodplains.
Hernando County Emergency Management Director Thomas Leto said his office advised the fire department to monitor the Weeki Wachee River, which rose rapidly during the height of the storm.
Typically, the Weeki Wachee and Withlacoochee rivers react slowly to heavy rain and take even longer to recede once the rain subsides.
Meteorologist Alsheimer said the Withlacoochee is not expected to surge past its 9-foot flood stage and will likely have minor surges for the remainder of the week. At 12:45 p.m., it held steady at 5.3 feet below flood levels.
A flood warning will remain in effect until 3 p.m. today.
Pockets of western and southwestern Hernando County received more than 5 inches of rain before lunchtime, flooding side streets and major thoroughfares, including Mariner Boulevard, Alsheimer said.
"You should see it now," said Penny Penniex, 86, who waded through the debris-laden water that settled at the end of her driveway on Captain Drive about 1 p.m. "It was worse than it was before."
Not far away on Mariner Boulevard, motorists inched through rim-deep puddles resulting from the overflow from a nearby retention basin.
"I had to come in and change my shoes," said Penniex, explaining that the flooding has made it impossible to grow flowers in her yard, much less grass. "The water is almost up to my garage door. It is up past my ankles."
Alsheimer said the storm would continue sporadically throughout today before ending in the evening. Then the gray, swollen clouds should give way to partly sunny skies.
