Rain Chances Rise As Low Moves Through

Tampa Bay area residents might want to keep their eyes on the sky over the next few days.

A low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico is anticipated to bring more than a few showers to the area. While the system isn’t anticipated to develop into a tropical cyclone anytime soon, it is expected to break the Tampa Bay area’s normal afternoon storm pattern.

“You could have rain at any time,” explained National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Noah.

While the system is currently south of Tampa Bay, it’s expected to be off our coast on Friday, passing through as it moves across the state. Unlike the system that moved through earlier this summer, this one isn’t well organized, Noah said. It’s not expected to dump quite as much rain on the region as the system that left Pasco County, downtown Tampa and other parts of the Bay flooded.

Noah said about an inch to 1 ½ inches of rain are expected as the front moves through. The good news, he added, is that the system should keep temperatures below the 90-degree mark.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expect the system will clear Florida over the weekend and then head out into the southwestern Atlantic. The chance for development at that point rises courtesy of more favorable conditions.

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is tracking another system far from land. That storm has an 80 percent chance of developing into a tropical system over the next five days. It was located about 600 miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands on Thursday morning.

As for the Tampa Bay area, forecasters anticipate about a 70 percent chance of rain throughout the day Thursday with a high in the upper 80s. Friday should see a high around 87 and a 70 percent chance of rain, as well. Thunderstorms are also possible Friday night.

Boaters are being urged to use caution as the system passes by. Noah said the chances for waterspout development are likely to increase, as well.

For an extended forecast in your neighborhood, visit your local Patch’s homepage.

Graphic courtesy of the National Hurricane Center