Gutters · Hawthorne

Gutters in Hawthorne, FL

Hawthorne's 7.38 square miles of land see a 5-minute downpour of 9.47 inches an hour in a 10-year storm. That burst decides whether your gutters keep up or spill over the fascia. The median home here dates to 1976, so many gutters on them are likely old and undersized.

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Updated October 2026

White modern city hall building with a purple metal awning and a sign reading Hawthorne City Hall. — Photo: Hawthorne, Florida, City Hall 2018 by PopularOutcast, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Drone view of a single-story home with a brown-gray shingle roof and box vents under large oak trees, a metal carport roof in the corner and a street behind. — Photo: Hawthorne, Florida, City Hall 2018 by PopularOutcast, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Hawthorne figures this page uses

Median year homes were built: 1976
Housing units (ACS 5-year): 679
Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 68.2%
Land area: 7.38sq mi

Local rainfall

How hard it rains in Hawthorne

The 5-minute rate climbs to 10.9 inches an hour in a 25-year storm and 13.1 in a 100-year storm. The longer rain is gentler: 2.83 inches in one hour for a 10-year storm. A gutter is overwhelmed by the short burst, not the long soak.

Close-up of an old sagging gutter pulling away from a rotted, water-stained fascia board with peeling paint and mildew under the eave (illustration)

Illustration: rotted fascia

Over a full day, a 10-year storm drops 6.12 inches and a 100-year storm drops 10.1. Gainesville's long-term normal is 48.31 inches a year, with 20.64 inches of it from June to August. Gutters work hardest in summer, which is also when thunderstorm wind reports cluster here.

Sizing

Sizing gutters and downspouts for a 1976 house

The Florida plumbing code sizes gutters by flow. At a 1/8 inch per foot slope, a 5 inch half-round carries 74 gallons a minute and a 6 inch carries 110. By our arithmetic, the 6 inch moves about 49 percent more water, which matters when 62 percent of Hawthorne's homes predate 1980.

Downspouts matter as much. A 3 inch round leader handles 92 gallons a minute, while a 4 inch round handles 192. A roof with one small downspout on a long run is the usual cause of overflow in a heavy burst.

Drainage and debris

Downspout discharge, trees and where the water goes

For the 679 housing units in Hawthorne, the residential code expects gutters and downspouts on any house with eaves under 6 inches deep. Water has to leave at least 1 foot from the sidewall, through buried pipe, tail extensions or splash blocks. With 68.2 percent of occupied homes owner-occupied, that discharge point is usually your own yard to manage.

Live oaks drop leaves and grow 60 to 80 feet tall, so a lot under one clogs faster. Pine needles peak from September through November. A sensible rhythm is after the spring oak drop, before June, and after the autumn needle peak.

Rain on your roof

Roof area (square feet)Rain (inches)

Preset: 6.12 inches, the 10-year 24-hour rain (NOAA Atlas 14 at Hawthorne).

7,626 gallons run off that roof, all of it toward the gutters and downspouts.

Math: square feet × inches × 0.623 gallons.

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Questions

Gutters in Hawthorne: questions

How often should I clean gutters in Hawthorne?

At least twice a year, in spring and fall, and more often under oaks or pines. Tropical Storm Colin in June 2016 brought a tree down in Hawthorne, which shows how quickly debris can arrive in summer. Gainesville's 20.64 inches of rain from June to August means a clogged gutter gets tested often. Check after the spring oak drop and again after pine needles fall in autumn.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 657954 (Tropical Storm, 2016-09-02, zone/county ALACHUA), bulk details file; FEMA OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (designatedArea = county), read Oct 5, 2026

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Are gutters required on a new house in Hawthorne?

Under the residential code, a new house with eaves projecting less than 6 inches needs gutters and downspouts, apart from gable end rakes and roofs over another roof. Hawthorne has 679 housing units, and the same rule covers new ones in Alachua County. Confirm details with the building office.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25001, via Census Reporter API (release acs2024_5yr), read Oct 5, 2026

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What size gutter handles a 10-year downpour here?

A 10-year, 5-minute burst in Hawthorne falls at 9.47 inches an hour. Under the plumbing code table, a 6 inch half-round at 1/8 inch per foot slope carries 110 gallons a minute, against 74 for a 5 inch. Roof area, pitch and downspout count change the answer, so size each roof by its own plan area.

Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Hawthorne 2020 Census internal point (29.5937, -82.0945), read Oct 5, 2026

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Do granules in my gutters mean the roof is failing?

They can. A shingle maker lists bald shingles shedding granules among the signs a roof is past its prime. With a median build year of 1976 in Hawthorne, many original roofs have long since been replaced or are likely aging. Look at the shingles from the ground, then have a roofer check them.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API (release acs2024_5yr), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Gutters

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