Heavy rain to soak Central Florida days before Christmas

ORLANDO, Fla. - Heavy rain is expected to pummel Central Florida the weekend before Christmas.

A developing low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico will slide over Florida, increasing the rain chance both Saturday an Sunday.

Expect a 30% coverage of showers on Saturday, with chances increasing to 100% by Sunday.

"Tomorrow is going to be the wettest day that a lot of us have seen in quite some time," said meteorologist Brooks Tomlin. "Looks widespread 1, 2, 3, 4 inches of rain and even some rain showers lingering into Monday."

Rainfall amounts could exceed 3-4" across the area during the day Sunday into Sunday night as the rain remains consistent. Winds will trend breezy to windy at times as we head into Saturday afternoon through Sunday night, especially in the coastal areas of East Central Florida. 

As the low pulls away from Florida next week, expect drier, more comfortable air on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Afternoon highs will be in the upper 60s, around 70 on Tuesday.

Christmas day will be rain-free and warm, with temperatures topping off around 75 degrees in Orlando.

Be sure to download the Fox 35 Weather App to get your daily forecast right on your cellphone.