Sunshine In Tampa Bay: Will It Last?

TAMPA, FL — After days of gloomy skies and heavy rain, sunshine made a triumphant return to many parts of the Tampa Bay area Friday morning. Residents and visitors who have been missing it may want to get out and take advantage while they can. According to the National Weather Service, blue skies are not likely to last through the weekend ahead.

Friday is expected to kick the weekend off with a pattern that is more or less normal for the region in the summertime. That bright sunshine is expected to stick around in much of the Tampa Bay area through the morning and well into the afternoon when the day’s high is expected to reach the high 80s.

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Isolated showers and thunderstorms creep into the forecast after 3 p.m. or so on Friday. Scattered thunderstorms are also possible heading into the overnight hours when the low should drop into the mid-70s.

Folks with big outdoor plans for Saturday might find their parades rained on. Forecasters say there’s a decent chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly after 9 a.m. Despite storm chances, the day’s high is still expected to climb into the upper 80s.

Saturday night is expected to bring a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms in much of the region. The overnight low is anticipated to fall only into the mid- to upper 70s.

Sunday brings the weekend’s strongest storm chances. Forecasters say there’s about a 60 percent chance of showers and storms during the daytime hours, but mainly after 3 p.m. The high is expected to climb into the upper 80s. Storm chances remain at 60 percent heading into the overnight hours when the low should fall into the mid-70s.

While severe weather isn't in the forecast for the weekend, forecasters do warn that thunderstorms that move through could dump heavy rain. In addition, frequent lightning strikes and gusty winds are also possible, according to the weather service's Friday Hazardous Weather Outlook report.

As of Friday, forecasters expected the workweek to kick off with gloomy skies once again in the forecast. Both Monday and Tuesday are expected to bring a 60-percent chance of showers and storms starting in the morning hours. Rain chances remain high through the workweek.

For an extended forecast in your neighborhood, visit your local Patch’s homepage.

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