ORLANDO, Fla. – A cold front will move across Central Florida Thursday afternoon and evening, bringing a round of showers and thunderstorms with locally heavy downpours.
While some storms could briefly become strong, the system will move through fairly quickly, which will likely limit how much rain can accumulate as drought conditions continue to worsen across the region.
2-4 p.m.: Northern counties
The first showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across Marion and Flagler counties between 2 and 4 p.m. as the front begins to move into northern parts of the area.
A few storms could become briefly strong with gusty winds, lightning, small hail, and heavy downpours.
4-6 p.m.: I-4 Corridor
The line of showers and storms will then shift south toward the Interstate 4 corridor between 4 and 6 p.m., impacting areas including Orlando, Sanford, and Daytona Beach.
Rainfall could become heavy at times, which may lead to minor ponding on roads during the evening commute.
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5-8 p.m.: Osceola and Brevard
Storms will continue pushing south and east into Osceola and Brevard counties between 5 and 8 p.m. before gradually moving offshore later in the evening.
Some storms could still produce gusty winds, lightning, and heavy bursts of rain as the front moves through.
Much-needed rain
While some storms may produce brief heavy downpours, the front will be moving fairly quickly, which will likely limit overall rainfall totals.
That is not ideal for Central Florida, which could really use the rain as drought conditions continue to worsen across parts of the region.
Still, any rainfall that does fall will help provide some temporary relief to the dry conditions.