Wakefield was put on a state of high alert as the risk of severe flooding threatened the city.
Firefighters carried out daring rescues, roads were closed and businesses and homes had to pump out water as people braced themselves for a repeat of last summer's floods.
Just after 11am the Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning for Alverthorpe, Flanshaw and Westgate End areas.
Westgate Beck was close to breaking its banks and reinforcements were called in the form of a JCB digger that was trying to hold back the rising swell of the water on Monday morning.
In just an hour the water level had risen by more than a foot.
Later the same day firefighters rescued an elderly woman from her home close to Kent Bridge on Alverthorpe Road.
Motorists faced traffic chaos as roads across the city were closed, including Lawefield Lane, Westgate and Denby Dale Road.
A flood warning was also issued for people living and working in Horbury Junction as the River Calder threatened to burst its banks.
Businesses and homes close to Strands Cottage, Horbury Junction waste water treatment works, Broad Cut, Dudfleet Yard and Millfield Cottages were all in danger from the rising water.
Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils found themselves with an extra day off as Horbury School was forced to cancel its day's lessons due to the weather.
And at Healey Mills, in Ossett, firefighters rescued three people before carrying out another rescue of a person who was trapped in four feet of rising water in their home on Charles Street in Horbury.
Camping business Go Outdoors, formerly known as Mitchells, on Hostingley Lane, Middlestown, was also forced to shut.
Its customer car park and tent display field was submerged under four feet of water.
Barges at Calder Grove were left marooned on the tow path of the canal close to the Navigation pub as the water levels rose.
Wakefield Council stockpiled 12,000 sandbags at strategic locations in Westgate, Agbrigg and at Horbury Junction to help protect against flooding.
It deployed special flood teams from the highways and neighbourhood services department as well as keeping 100 council workers on standby in case the emergency services needed extra help.
Wakefield Sea Cadets were another casualty of the latest deluge of water sweeping across the city.
Margaret Truelove, secretary of the management committee, said: "We've been flooded worse this time than last summer.
"One of our buildings was particularly bad and all the new carpets put down since last time are all wet through. We are hoping that because they are new they will dry out, but we won't know the full extent of the damage for another couple of days."
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