A disturbance is near the Bahamas. When will Florida start to see heavy rain and winds?
Get ready for a soggy weekend, South Florida.
The forecast says there’s a 60 to 80 percent chance of showers starting Thursday. And there will be gusty winds.
Forecasters say there’s a disturbance near the southeastern Bahamas, as of Wednesday morning, that is expected to move across the Florida Straits or through South Florida this weekend, bringing its stormy baggage with it.
The disturbance has a low chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. advisory, but those chances jump up to 60 percent in the next five days as it moves across Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Regardless of development, the forecast shows heavy rainfall and gusty winds across the Bahamas through Thursday and across Florida during the weekend.
The rain is expected to start Thursday for most of Florida, with a 40 to 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. The real downpour won’t arrive until the weekend — just in time to ruin any plans you made.
The rain chances get worse Friday and into the weekend with a 70 to 80 percent chance of rain.
And if you think you can escape the showers by planning a Keys getaway, think again. While it may have worked in the past, the area has a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain and thunder at least until Sunday, according to the Keys weather service.
A trip to Disney World or Universal also doesn’t seem to be in the cards. The forecast says Orlando is looking at a 40 to 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms starting Thursday and into the weekend.
Besides the rain and thunder, there’s also a high risk for rip currents for all Atlantic beaches from Wednesday to possibly Tuesday because of some breezy easterly winds, according to the hazardous weather outlook, and possible localized flooding in some areas.
But, it doesn’t look like the breeze is going to keep the heat away. Temperatures are expected to feel like they’re over 105 degrees, particularly in the interior southwest of the state. Besides the gusty winds, the outlook says Key West is also at risk of cloud to surface lightning strikes.
The breezy winds may also cause some hazardous conditions for boaters, with bouts of easterly wind surges possibly bringing portions of the waters to advisory criteria, according to the Keys’ marine forecast, with the seas expected to build four to six feet over the Atlantic and one to three feet over the Gulf.
A small craft advisory is also in effect for the Straits of Florida and the Hawk Channel, as of Wednesday night.
This story was originally published September 11, 2019 at 9:53 AM.
