ORLANDO, Fla. – Several disturbances are poised to move out of the Gulf of Mexico over the next week. A pair will arrive late in the weekend, bringing the chance for heavy rain. Another one, arriving midweek, has the potential to become a strong tropical storm or hurricane.
Saturday will feature a few stray storms, but most of Central Florida will be dry.
The chance for heavy rain arrives from the first round of disturbances later in the day Sunday.
The heaviest looks to fall south of Orlando.
Early in the work week, a more potent disturbance has the potential to organize in the southwest Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center now gives this disturbance a 70% chance to develop over the next seven days.
Gradual strengthening is then forecast as it moves east toward the Florida Peninsula. Rain chances from the disturbance could arrive as early as late Tuesday night with the bulk arriving Wednesday.
The storm has yet to develop so the exact track and intensity remain uncertain. Heavy rain and the potential for flooding appear likely near and around the center of the storm.
The main question is where exactly does a band of heavy rain set up. Within that corridor of heavy rain, double digit rainfall totals will be likely.
The heaviest rain could set up along and around I-4 or push more south toward Lake Okeechobee.
Those details will be fine-tuned starting Monday as the storm starts to take shape in the Gulf of Mexico.