ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa officially has only had about half its normal rain so far this year, but help is on the way as our rainy season kicks into high gear over the next several days.
You may have already felt the humidity — it's on the increase and will be a staple of our weather pattern for the next several days. An area of low pressure over the Gulf of Mexico is continuing to try and organize, but the chances of it becoming a tropical system remain on the low end.
The National Hurricane Center has the disturbance at a 20% chance of development over the next week.
This system, however, will keep elevated storm chances in the forecast from now into the first half of the weekend.
The good news is the heaviest rain with this system will be on the west coast of Florida, where it's needed the most. The Tampa Bay area remains in what's considered an extreme drought.
Rain from this system — which could be heavy at times — will put a dent into the drought. Although isolated flooding is possible, the dry ground should be able to absorb much of the excess water.