It’s the last official day of the fall season (believe it or not) and spring-like thunderstorms are likely to ramp up throughout the day and night hours, Thursday. Warm and windy conditions should be expected across the region in advance of a strong cold front. As the boundary pushes across the Gulf of Mexico, scattered to numerous thunderstorms will overspread the area.
The initial moisture surge is taking place now across the Gulf region into Florida. Areas from Tampa to Tallahassee (then all the way over to Jacksonville) are under a Flood Watch until Friday at 7 am. Some places will likely receive between 3 and 4 inches of rain.
A south Florida rain event is likely, too, but activity will be more scattered throughout the day on Thursday. It is possible for a solid squall line of storms to push through too (especially later at night and into the morning hours of Friday).
Until the weather system completely crosses we’ll be dealing with the threat strong storms that could reach severe levels. From northeast Miami-Dade into most of Broward County, the Storm Prediction Center has upgraded to an “enhanced risk level”. Damaging winds will be the greatest threat and isolated tornadoes can’t be ruled out.
Looking ahead, the storm system (covering a huge area beyond the southeastern states) pulls away on Friday. Wind issues will still be a problem but they should subside by the weekend. Cooler air will follow the front and nighttime lows will settle back to the 50’s on Saturday and Sunday morning.
