Gusty storms to drench Florida into Friday night
Storms will pack a punch with torrential downpours and gusty winds as they slice southeastward across the Florida Peninsula into Friday night.
While a severe weather outbreak is not anticipated, the storms can pack a punch at the local level by hindering travel and pestering those with outdoor activities on Friday.
Those spending time on the golf course, the beach or at theme parks in the region should keep alert for rapidly changing weather conditions and be prepared to move indoors at the first sign of thunderstorms or first rumble of thunder.
In this situation, lightning can strike without notice.
More people are killed by lightning strikes in Florida on an annual basis than in any other state.
Isolated wind gusts can be strong enough to break tree limbs and cause minor property damage.
In a few of cases, there may be a waterspout or tornado.
Boating and fishing interests should closely monitor the progress of the storms and remain in port until the risk has passed.
The most common aspects of the storms will be to produce downpours which can reduce visibility for motorists and cause excess water on the roads for a few moments.
However, the storms may also lead to isolated incidents of urban and low-lying area flooding.
Vehicles are being directed to the upper levels of a parking garage at the Dallas Love Field Airport in Texas as flooding leaves cars underwater on April 23.
"Rain in part of the region may not necessarily be a bad thing," according to AccuWeather Senior Agricultural Meteorologist Dale Mohler.
"While some parts of the Florida Peninsula have had adequate rain in recent weeks, some places have been dodging showers of late," Mohler said.
Rainfall in Naples, Florida, has been less than 50% of average since March 1. During the same approximate eight-week period, Orlando has only had about one-third of their normal, which is about 6 inches of rain.
In portions of southern Alabama, northern Florida, much of Georgia and southern South Carolina, abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions currently exist, according to the United States Drought Monitor.
The region could benefit from a couple of storms that bring non-flooding rainfall as the growing season ramps up into full gear.
Download the free AccuWeather app for the minute-by-minute forecast for your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
