Forecasters warned of flooding that could be severe by Friday.
The wet season will take hold of South Florida this week, with some areas of the state expected to receive up to a foot, or even more, of rain through Friday. This could cause flash flooding in urban areas — but it may also help ease the drought conditions across the region.
“The Keys and southwest portions of the peninsula will have the great risk for excessive rainfall and associated flash flooding, but the threat extends to the southeast coast and into portions of Central Florida as well,” warned forecasters with the Weather Prediction Center Monday morning.
Here is what to expect:
There will likely be some rain on Monday, but the heavier rainfall is expected to kick off Tuesday and last through Friday.
Over the next few days, two to eight inches of rain could fall north of Interstate 4, which runs between Tampa and Daytona Beach. The heavier rain is more likely to fall south of the interstate, where 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall.
Flooding will most likely be largely contained in urban areas and will most likely worsen as the week progresses.
The South Florida rainy season began officially on May 15 and runs through October 15. It is when there is ample moisture in the air, and the region sees the majority of its rain for the year during this period. This week, the amount of moisture in the air is expected to be well above average, even for the rainy season.
The flooding risk will come from storms bringing a deluge of rain but moving very slowly, increasing the amount that falls. This will be particularly problematic in urban areas with poor drainage.
Overall, river flooding shouldn’t be an immediate concern early in the week, because a drought in the southern peninsula is causing river levels to run below the 25th percentile for mid-June.
The forecast amounts are still quite uncertain, especially after Tuesday, which is the reason for the broad range in the amount of precipitation in the forecasts.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
