The heavy rainfall pattern with Hurricane Dennis fell in two distinct areas, highly evident when looking at the precipitation total through the event. During the afternoon of July 10^th, the heavy rainfall axis was with the core of the system across the far western Florida Panhandle into southern Alabama, typical of most tropical systems.  A fairly distinct feeder band also was apparent from just east of Tallahassee, Florida across western Georgia.   Note that rainfall amounts were far less across areas between Panama City Beach and Tallahassee, an area that was expected to be on the eastern edge of the eye and expected to receive some of the highest amounts.   The lack of rainfall across this area can be attributed to two aspects of the system’s environment.  First the progression of the system at landfall began to speed up from 12 knots to nearly 20 knots.  Moreover, the system began to entrain drier air from the western Gulf of Mexico.

During the evening, heavy rain continued within the core of the tropical convection across west-central Alabama.  A secondary and more pronounced heavy rain axis had developed across the central Florida Panhandle across western Georgia.  The nearly stationary feeder band had produced between 4 to 7 inches of rainfall during the 6-hour period in a narrow band from Tallahassee, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia.  Rainfall amounts in many areas (greater than 6 inches in 6 hours) meet or exceeded the 100-year return period for 6 hour rainfall amounts.