Hazardous Weather Outlook Issued For Tampa Bay Area

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents who live in low lying areas may want to batten down the hatches. According to the National Weather Service, daily storms coupled with the threat posed by Hurricane Irma could lead to increased flooding risks over the week ahead. Dangerous conditions on local waters are also a concern as the short workweek gets under way.

The weather service says Tuesday should kick off the short workweek with a high in the low 90s. Partly sunny skies, however, are expected to give way to a strong chance for scattered storms in much of the region during the afternoon hours. Rain chances begin to dry up heading into the overnight hours when the low should fall into the upper 70s. (For more weather news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Tampa Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Wednesday is expected to kick off with mostly cloudy skies and a 30 percent chance for scattered storms moving into the region during the late-morning hours. The day’s high is still expected to climb to about 90 degrees with heat index values near 101. Slight rain chances are expected to stick around heading into the overnight hours with a low in the mid-70s forecast.

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Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are expected on Thursday, along with a high in the low 90s. Scattered storms are also expected in much of the region during the overnight hours. The low is again forecast to drop into the mid-70s.

With Hurricane Irma expected to be near Florida on Friday, forecasters say the Tampa Bay area should witness about a 50 percent chance for scattered thunderstorms during the daytime hours with a high around 90 degrees. Rain chances stick around in the evening hours with a low in the upper 70s likely.

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Strong storm chances and increasingly windy conditions are expected through the upcoming weekend.

While it remains too early to tell what impacts Hurricane Irma may have on the Tampa Bay area, forecasters say that even without her arrival, daily storms may exacerbate the region’s already soggy conditions. River flooding is already a concern in much of the region, forecasters noted in Tuesday’s Hazardous Weather Outlook report.

“Residents living along rivers or faster flowing streams should remain aware of water levels and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding be observed,” forecasters wrote. The weather service is also warning of increased storm chances late Saturday through Monday as Hurricane Irma nears the region. Small craft operators are being warned that conditions in local waters will likely become hazardous over the weekend.

As of 8 a.m. Sept. 5, Irma was located about 270 miles east of Antigua. She was moving west at 14 mph while packing 175 mph maximum sustained winds.

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