Flood Watches, Rain Woes Continue In Tampa Bay Area

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents hoping for a chance to dry out after days of heavy rain won’t see that happen right away. Manatee and Sarasota counties remained under a flood watch Monday with forecasters at the National Weather Service saying more rounds of rain are likely throughout the region through Tuesday at least.

“Rain with embedded thunderstorms will continue across the region today as an area of low pressure moves slowly northeast,” service forecasters wrote in Monday’s Hazardous Weather Outlook report. “Some of these storms will produce locally heavy rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches, with some higher amounts. This could exacerbate already saturated soils and lead to additional flooding.”

A rip current warning for coastlines in the Tampa Bay area also remained in place.

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The flood watches for Sarasota and Manatee counties are set to expire at 9 p.m. Monday, but more rain is in the forecast for Tuesday.

According to the weather service, Monday should bring heavy rain to most of the region with chances as high as 90 percent in some areas. The storms are expected to keep the day’s high down in the mid-80s though. Storm chances continue into the overnight hours when the low should fall into the upper 70s.

Tuesday is expected to bring about a 50 percent chance of storms during the daytime hours with a high near 90 degrees forecast. Rain chances stick around in the overnight hours when the low should fall into the upper 70s.

Wednesday may bring drier conditions with only a 20 percent chance of storms in the forecast for much of the region. The drier weather, however, could bring the day’s high back up into the low 90s in much of the region. Slight rain chances are in the forecast for the overnight hours Wednesday with a low in the upper 70s expected.

Thursday and Friday are anticipated to be near mirrors of each other with strong rain chances during the daytime hours and highs in the low 90s forecast. Rain chances stick around both evenings with lows in the upper 70s likely.

Daily scattered storms are also possible through the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

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Photo of flooding in Sarasota courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department