ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 has declared both Saturday and Sunday a Weather Alert Day due to the likelihood of heavy rain and gusty winds and the potential for flooding and severe weather.
Expect shower chances to increase gradually during the day Saturday.
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The first half of Saturday may be on the drier side for the bulk of Central Florida. It will remain breezy, with increasing wind gusts through the day. Widespread rain and the strongest wind gusts will materialize later Saturday.
Worst of the weather: 7 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Sunday
Wind: 40-50 mph gusts
Rainfall: Widespread 2-4 inches of rain. Isolated amounts of 6 inches-plus will be possible
Severe Threat: A conditional severe weather threat will be present Saturday evening through Sunday morning. There is ample wind shear in the atmosphere to help energize storms, however, the atmosphere is lacking instability or the fuel for storms to get going.
The exact track of the storm will determine the overall severe threat for the weekend.
If the low tracks through the Panhandle, there will be a higher severe weather threat in Central Florida, If the low travels through the Big Bend or just north of Tampa, the severe weather threat will be slightly lower. Still, in this scenario, a tornado or two will be possible given the amount of wind shear available in the atmosphere.
Note that the window of worst weather can shift a little bit, but it appears likely than an impactful storm will be moving through Central Florida during a good chunk of the weekend.
It is important to note that this system will not be tropical in nature and therefore will not be a tropical storm and receive a name. Impacts may be similar to a low-end tropical storm, however, meteorologically speaking this system is not “built” the same way and will behave differently.
Remember, you can track live radar and get weather alerts and updates on the free Pinpoint Weather App.