ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Torrential rainfall prompted a flood advisory Wednesday for parts of the Tampa Bay area and is making a mess of the evening commute.
As of 5 p.m., about 2 to 4 inches of rain has fallen in parts of the St. Petersburg area, according to the National Weather Service. It's possible another 1 to 3 inches of rain could fall.
This amount of rain in a short period of time prompted the advisories for parts of Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties — minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas is possible over the next couple of hours
Interstate 275 in Pinellas County is slow going, with traffic cameras showing heavy buildups, especially around 5th Avenue North to 54th Avenue North.
This dreary weather is forecast for the next several days as a low-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico continues to push in ample moisture across the region. Although the National Hurricane Center is monitoring it for tropical development, its odds are low and instead, the disturbance will help to bust our drought.
Afternoon showers and storms are forecast through the next several days, with the threat of minor flooding to continue.