Orlando weather: Strong storms could bring torrential rain, flash flooding through weekend

ORLANDO, Fla. - Strong storms will force their way through the Central Florida area on Friday afternoon and into the evening, bringing heavy impacts, including torrential rain and flash flooding. These storms are expected to continue through the weekend. 

Here's a look at what to expect from the weather for the rest of today and looking ahead to the weekend.

What will the weather look like this evening?

What to expect:

Storms will continue to fire up through the rest of the evening. 

Most of the widespread storms will be between 5-10 p.m., with storms slowly tapering off after that. 

With a lot of moisture in the atmosphere, torrential rain and flash flooding are the main threats. Other threats for the rest of the night will be gusty winds and vivid lightning. Some storms tonight could pack a punch and become intense like what we have seen the past few nights. 

Temperatures will cool down significantly if you do get caught in showers this evening. Conditions will stay muggy through the overnight, with lows falling into the mid 70s.

What will the weather look like this weekend?

What's next:

Rain chances will remain high through the weekend. 

Tropical influences will play a role in the rainy and stormy next few days. There is a lot of tropical moisture in the atmosphere over Florida, and this will keep our rain chances high with widespread torrential rain. 

The best chances for storms will be during the afternoon and evening hours of each day, at least through the weekend. The threats will remain very similar to what we've seen so far this week, with more of an emphasis on the rain. 

The heavy rain expected on top of an already wet week for some could cause more of a risk for flooding. Gusty winds and vivid lightning are also the main threats, with the possibility of small hail with stronger storms. 

With the increased moisture in the atmosphere, mornings will be more on the cloudy side, but overall dry before the storms start to kick in during the afternoon and evening hours. 

The clouds will keep our temperatures right around 90 degrees. 

Days won't be complete washouts, but storms will have to be watched in the afternoon and evening. 

What's next:

High pressure will start to build back in, bringing our temperatures up and the rain chances down a little at the start of next week.

Tracking the tropics

Big picture view:

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is tracking two Atlantic systems: Invest 96L and a low-pressure area near the Southeast U.S.

Invest 96L may develop into a tropical depression during the early or middle part of next week with a 40% chance.

The system offshore of North Carolina has a low 10% chance of forming.

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