ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It's been a while, but we are finally seeing an unsettled weather pattern that will bring beneficial rainfall across the state.
While we won't be seeing drought-busting rainfall, it will keep things from getting worse and will also limit the risk of brush fires. A new drought monitor report will be released on Thursday.
How much rainfall do we need? Currently, we are more than 6 inches below normal for the year! Right now, it looks like most of our area will pick up about a half-inch to an inch of rainfall over the next seven days.
This is all thanks to an organizing area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico. While the center of the low pressure will track to the north toward Louisiana, a warm front and tropical moisture will increase rain chances around Tampa Bay Wednesday through Thursday.
Most of Wednesday will be cloudy and windy with temperatures only reaching into the upper 70s for highs. Scattered rain shower activity will be likely in the morning and then again in the afternoon as the warm front lifts north. Most of the rain will be light, but a couple of heavier showers cannot be ruled out in the afternoon.
Thursday will be warm and muggy with more sunshine mixing in. Scattered thunderstorms will be possible with more instability in the atmosphere. We do have a marginal risk for severe weather with an isolated brief tornado and gusty winds possible.
A break in the active weather will arrive Friday into Saturday with more sunshine and highs in the mid-80s. Then a cold front will push into the area on Sunday bringing additional rain chances across the area.
