ORLANDO, Fla. – The weather outside is fairly gnarly this evening across the majority of Central Florida. Streaming in out of the Gulf, a developing low pressure area is pumping a thick plume of showers and storms almost due east across the peninsula.
We’ve gotten reports of customers in the Tampa Bay area dialing 911 because of rapidly rising waters and dangerously heavy rains piling up all at once in some neighborhoods.
This same band of densely packed rainfall is headed right into Orlando where an Aerial Flood Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. The National Weather Service is closely investigating whether this will be upgraded to a flash flood warning especially with the accumulating water we’ve already seen since this event got underway.
We are still beneath a level one marginal risk for isolated severe thunderstorms. The main threats with these would include damaging straight-line winds and a rogue funnel cloud or tornado.
These threats will remain low, as the saturated environment far more supports the heavy rain that’ll stick around through dinner time and towards daybreak tomorrow.
However, plan to feel some gusty winds during the mid-sections of tonight into early Monday morning as our strongest thunderstorms push through out of the west towards our east coast between now and midnight.
After midnight we’re anticipating heavy rains should lessen to more light to moderate, steady rains. This could still pile some water up in some spots, but the overall risk factor will continue to diminish as we approach the start of your Monday.
I will also add, computer models are much slower to move this deluge of rain out of our area. When you compare what’s occurring right now as I’m putting this article together for you, to what models show for this hour, 8 p.m., they’re well behind the curve.
Getting out the door tomorrow we could see some leftover rain showers in our southern viewing counties.
A large majority of the worst rains will have moved on by the time the sun comes up.
But to be on the safe side, I would pack the umbrella and perhaps drive the kids to the bus stop or to school if you have the ability to do so, just be safe on those roadways especially in areas that see higher rainfall amounts tonight. There could be leftover pooled waters still down the pike.
By about 10 a.m. to noon that’s when the true clearing trend will begin. Winds will switch to out of the north finally allowing the cooler, drier air we’re counting on to flush the atmosphere out to move in.
Monday night and into Tuesday will give way to cooler overnight lows and much more pleasant afternoon high temperatures. Our next shot for rain and warmth comes in the form of another cold front on approach for Friday into Saturday.