Soaking rain to spoil weekend for Florida

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

March 31,2016; 9:42PM,EDT

 

 

Rain and thunderstorms will slowly track across Florida this weekend, soaking the Sunshine State.
"A front progressing very slowly to the southeast will cause trouble for outdoor activities and could lead to travel delays from Florida to parts of Georgia and the Carolinas into Saturday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

Enough rain can fall to cause excess water on portions of roadways that drain poorly. Downpours can also be heavy enough to reduce the visibility for motorists.
Low cloud ceilings can lead to airline delays as well.
Thunderstorms that develop along the leading edge of the steady rain can be locally heavy and gusty. Be prepared to move indoors as storms approach. If you can hear thunder, you are at risk for being struck by lightning.
The rain will end from northwest to southeast as the weekend progresses. In the wake of the front, humidity levels will drop significantly.
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Saturday is likely to start wet in Pensacola, Panama City Beach and Tallahassee Florida with rain advancing into Jacksonville and Orlando by the end of the day.
"Sunday will turn out to be the better of the two weekend days for outdoor activities in central Florida from Tampa to Orlando and Daytona Beach," Anderson said. "The sun may even emerge by the afternoon in some areas."
However, it may take until Sunday evening before showers and thunderstorms clear South Florida and the Keys.
For areas from Key West to Naples, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, both days of the weekend will feature untimely showers and thunderstorms for beach, boating, fishing and golfing activities.
This rain headed to Florida could exacerbate issues around the sinkhole that opened up on Wednesday in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
This 60-foot-wide, 35-foot-deep sinkhole forced some residents that live near the hole to evacuate. If the rain causes the hole to grow, it may force more evacuations.