Drenching Thunderstorms to Enhance Flood Risk Across Florida This Week

By Brett Rathbun, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

September 14,2015; 10:44PM,EDT

 

 

A continuous flow of moisture will be present across Florida, triggering rounds of showers and thunderstorms with the risk for flash flooding through the week.
This moisture is associated with the storm system that brought much cooler and less humid air to the Southeast and portions of northern and central Florida over the weekend.

Southeast Extended Regional Weather Forecast

An area of high pressure over the mid-Atlantic will cause a persistent northeast wind flow across Florida for much of the week. Combined with rich tropical moisture from the southeast, downpours are expected to develop.
While there will be areas of showers and thunderstorms across central and South Florida on Monday, the drenching thunderstorm activity will begin on Tuesday and last through the week.

According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Michael Doll, "The favored time of day for storms this week along the east coast of Florida will be in the morning through early afternoon."
"For inland areas and along the west coast, the favored time of day for storms will be during the afternoon and evening," he said.
Outdoor activities this week such as golfing, running or having a barbecue could be ruined due to wet weather.
Many areas across the state of Florida have dealt with heavy downpours during the month of August. Thunderstorm activity, however, has slowed down during the first couple weeks of September for some areas including Tampa, Miami and St. Petersburg.
Rainfall Observed Across Florida

City	August Rainfall (inches)	Percent of Normal	Sept. Rainfall (through the 13th) (inches)	Percent of Normal (to date)
Fort Lauderdale	5.75	72	4.05	102
Jacksonville	8.65	127	4.19	114
Miami	9.07	102	3.15	76
Orlando	15.86	222	3.03	110
St. Petersburg	12.61	152	2.04	55
Tallahassee	6.11	83	1.93	86
Tampa	16.47	212	1.64	52

Despite the below-normal rainfall for some areas in September, the ground remains well saturated. Any additional heavy rainfall could lead to localized areas of flooding.
Rainfall amounts through the week could exceed 3 inches across a large portion of the state. Lesser amounts are expected across the Florida Panhandle.
Showers and thunderstorms could continue into the weekend across the state and could cause delays for any weekend high school, college or NFL football games should lightning get too close.
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If you see a flooded roadway, do not drive through it. It only takes a small amount of rushing water to wash away vehicles.
Use AccuWeather MinuteCast® for the minute-by-minute precipitation forecast for your area.
While some areas will prefer to have a stretch of drier weather, parts of South Florida and the panhandle remain in a moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

A tropical feature in the western Gulf of Mexico will be monitored for development this week, but is not expected to threaten Florida.