First Warning Forecast
A mix of sun and clouds until scattered showers move in this afternoon. Steady showers tonight with an isolated thunderstorm overnight into Thursday. Prepare for hazardous driving conditions during rush hour Thursday morning.
Flooding is possible... upwards of 2 to 4 inches of rainfall with localized higher amounts possible.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect this Wednesday evening until Thursday evening. A combination of the cold front and tropical moisture from Eta are responsible for several inches of rain over the next 48 hours. The front is expected to stall near the coast, which will keep scattered showers in the area.
Meanwhile, highs near 80 today with lows in the 70s overnight. The cold front will linger along the coast, keeping clouds and scattered showers for Friday. Highs will drop to the mid and upper 60s.
Tropical Update
Eta weakens back to a tropical storm after briefly re-gaining hurricane strength Wednesday morning. Eta is centered about 115 miles SW of Tampa, Florida and moving NNE at 10 mph. On the forecast track, the center of Eta will move closer to but offshore of the southwest coast of Florida today, approach the west-central coast of Florida tonight, and move inland over the northern portion of the Florida peninsula on Thursday. Eta is expected to move northeastward into the western Atlantic late Thursday or early Friday. Right now, heavy rain and gusty winds continue to impact west-central Florida.
Tropical Storm Theta will continue moving ENE across the eastern. Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts. Slow weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
A tropical wave located over the eastern Caribbean Sea is expected to move slowly west into more conducive environmental conditions over the next several days. A tropical depression is likely to form late this week or this weekend when the wave reaches the central or western Caribbean Sea.
* Formation chance through 48 hours: Low (30%)
* Formation chance through 5 days: High (80%)
