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Orlando AM Weather Forecast: Rainy weekend for Central Florida
Higher shower and storm chances heading into the weekend, with the heaviest rain expected in the afternoon and the evening. FOX 35 Storm Team meteorologist Jessica Dobson takes a look at the forecast.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A 70% chance of afternoon and evening scattered showers and storms is on the way for our Friday.
Isolated downpours will begin around midday, with the highest chances from 2 to 8 p.m.
Gusty winds, heavy rain with isolated totals of 1 to 2 inches possible, and frequent lightning will be possible.
Showers gradually fade by 9 to 10 p.m., drying out overnight.
Tropical moisture arrives this weekend
With an area of low pressure set to form in the Gulf this weekend, this will help to swing tropical moisture into Central Florida.
Timeline:
It won't be an all-weekend washout; the main timing will still be during the afternoon and evening hours. Breaks in the rain and activity can be expected as well with these off and on downpours.
If you have outdoor plans, your best bet for dry time will be before noon. That being said, models have been hinting at a few showers Sunday morning so keep that in mind.
With tropical moisture at play, this means when it rains, it will really pour with a lot of rain falling over a short period of time. Areas of flooding will be possible as some spots could pick up 4 to 5 inches or more of rain.
Tracking the tropics
An area of low pressure will form in the northern Gulf sometime in the next few days.
This is why the National Hurricane Center has outlined the area in yellow extending from the northeastern Gulf, across the Florida peninsula, and into the Atlantic.
Chances of development are low overall at only 20% over the next 7 days. Where this area of low pressure forms is still uncertain, along with the amount of time it spends over the water, both factors help determine just how much this will develop.
While chances of a named storm are very low, they aren't zero.
Even the chances of a tropical depression are low, but it's still a complicated forecast. If a tropical storm did manage to form, it would be brief and weak. The next name on the list is Bertha.
Regardless of how much the system is able to develop, this will be a rainmaker for Florida.
The Source: The information in this story was provided by the FOX 35 Storm Team.