Heavy rains soak southeast Georgia, northeast Florida

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - Torrential rains brought in from the tropics drenched northeast Florida and southeast Georgia on Friday, causing some street flooding and numerous traffic accidents. <br> <br> A flood warning was issued Friday for eastern Duval County with the National Weather Service warning of 1 to 2 inches of rain an hour. <br> <br> St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach had both received between 3 and 4 inches of rain by midday Friday. But flood watches for St. Johns, Clay and Nassau counties expired Friday afternoon. <br> <br> The rain also brought cool weather to north Florida on the first day of summer. The early morning low in Jacksonville was 70, with highs only expected to climb into the mid 80s. <br> <br> A combination of weather factors teamed to create an area of cloudiness and thunderstorms extending from the southeast Gulf of Mexico northeastward across Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean. <br> <br> ``This activity is forecast to ... continue to bring heavy rains and gusty winds primarily over coastal sections of northeast Florida and southeast Georgia,&#39;&#39; hurricane specialist Lixion Avila said in a weather advisory. <br> <br> He added that conditions weren&#39;t favorable for any significant tropical development. <br> <br> Much of the rest of the state was also getting a soaking. Totals by Friday morning varied from 2.25 inches in the Florida Keys to just over two inches in suburban Miami and just under two inches in Orlando. <br> <br> Slick streets were blamed for the numerous northeast Florida traffic accidents, including a fatal head-on collision in Jacksonville and a collision between two tractor-trailer trucks on Interstate 10 west of Jacksonville. <br> <br> The heavy rains came on top of significant rain Wednesday and Thursday along the northeast Florida coast. Anastasia Island in St. Johns County received six inches of rain during that period. <br> <br> The forecast for the weekend isn&#39;t much better, with a 70 percent chance of rain forecast for Saturday and 50 percent on Sunday. <br> <br> Meanwhile, Dry Tortugas National Park officials announced that the campground on Garden Key, the park&#39;s main island, has been closed because of rain from a week ago. <br> <br> The park was hit with 11 inches of rain on June 14-15, causing the campground&#39;s septic system to fail. The system is being replaced and the campground will reopen ``as soon as possible,&#39;&#39; park spokeswoman Deborah Nordeen said in a release.