TAMPA, Fla. — Secure your ark! The rainy season is here again.
Keep those umbrellas close this weekend because tropical downpours are expected each day.
The good news? It will not be a complete washout this weekend. There will still be a few dry windows to get outside. Keeping a close on the radar will be ideal while enjoying any outdoor activities.
The setup
Deeper moisture is pooling ahead of a stalled boundary draped just to the north of Florida. The additional moist air and lift will support more torrential showers and storms that will continue into the weekend.
With that tropical moisture overhead, storms could drop 1-3 inches of rain across a wide area through Sunday. Some isolated locations may even receive 5-6 inches of rain.
This intense rainfall in a short period of time could result in some flash flooding and/or ponding. It will be important to remain weather-aware when heading out as urban and poorly drained areas may see flooding.
The timing
With a southwest onshore component in place this weekend, showers could start as early as 6-7 a.m. at the coast Saturday before pushing east toward interior Florida through the morning and afternoon.
Showers will start to wind down in the evening around 8 p.m. before we start all over again Sunday. Scattered rain will move onshore during the morning hours before intensifying while pushing east through the early part of the afternoon.
Rainy season
The Tampa Bay area's rainy season, the time period when conditions become favorable for near-daily afternoon showers based on an examination of local thunderstorm science and climatology, started May 25. Now until the beginning of July is considered the "stormiest" part of the rainy season, and in the month of June alone, Tampa's normal rainfall amount is 7.37 inches.
A few areas across Tampa Bay could get close to that average rainfall number this weekend only after a few tropical downpours.
