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Orlando Weather Forecast: Tracking rain into Saturday
Central Florida could see some relief from the dry conditions. Rain is expected today, with chances increasing as we head into the weekend. FOX 35 Storm Team Senior Meteorologist Noah Bergren is tracking it all.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Into the evening, coverage of showers and storms increases with a few stronger storms possible.
The set-up in the atmosphere, including instability, will help bring the potential for some small hail and gusty wind.
Friday night's forecast
What To Expect:
Overnight, we'll see numerous showers and storms as this cold front works southeast. Lows with the clouds and moisture only gets back into the lower to middle 60s.
The weekend starts unsettled as this system continues to impact us here at home.
Weekend rain: Timeline
Saturday will remain mostly cloudy with scattered showers moving west to east, though it will not be a washout.
A cold front will be slowly pushing through the viewing area during with the threat of showers and storms holding through midday. They'll be hit or miss in nature with showers and storms becoming more widely scattered during the afternoon.
Region wide has the chance of seeing rain sometime between this evening through Saturday afternoon. Because showers will be on and off through tonight and through Saturday afternoon, there is no real set time in the period where there will for sure be rain, so have the rain jacket handy.
Rain chances across the Orlando metro are 60%, which means there is a high chance of rain throughout the period we are watching. Because the rain showers are scattered, some may see brief periods of heavy rainfall, while others may not see any rain.
How much rain could fall?
The storms will be scattered, popping up across the region. Some areas will see more rain than others. it will all depend on where the heavier showers line up. Region-wide areas are in for a least a little trace of rain with the areas that do get caught in the heavier downpours could get up to 2 inches.
The areas that could see the most rain according to the latest models are south of Interstate 4. It'll be less humid and cooler Saturday night with lows falling back into the middle to upper 50s.
Drier air wins out Sunday as high pressure starts to build in. That brings a return to more sunshine, making for a beautiful end to the weekend. Temperatures will essentially be perfect for this time of year, topping out in the upper 70s. As this ridge of high pressure builds in, highs continue to moderate through the start of the workweek and beyond.
Drought concerns
As of the update Friday, 100% of Florida is experiencing some level of drought. This rain will be very helpful but it will not likely even make a dent in the amount of rain that we need in order to solve the drought problem. Another concern is the lighting that could be embedded with these storms.
Cloud to ground lightning could spark new fires so that is what we will be watching as these storms move through. More than 650 wildfires have been reported statewide so far this year.
Looking Ahead:
Afternoon readings jump back into the lower 80s on Monday and Tuesday, which is well above average for this time of year. In fact, temps will run around 5-10° above normal as we progress through the latter half of next week.
Conditions look mainly dry, but with onshore flow coming from the Atlantic, we'll see the potential for stray showers, especially near the beaches Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The Source: This story was written with information from the FOX 35 Storm Team.