Eye on the Tropics

Local storms race north thru the evening; hurricane watch in effect for LA

By Irene Sans, WFTV.com and Sarah Wilson
By Irene Sans, WFTV.com and Sarah Wilson
High rain chances are sticking around Wednesday across Central Florida, with most of the rain and storm activity falling between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. We are also monitoring Potential Tropical Cyclone Two, located over the Gulf of Mexico. 
Some storms developed after 2 p.m. and moved quickly from the southwest to the northeast. Rainfall is forecast to reach between 1 to 2 inches of rain, with some locations receiving slightly higher amounts. Frequent lightning will also be a worrisome threat.
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If you are outdoors, make sure to go indoors as soon as you hear thunder. Lightning can strike over 10 miles from a storm's base. 
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POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE TWO
The National Hurricane Center initiated advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone Two at 11 a.m. eastern time, Wednesday. The organization does this when a system has the potential to develop further but it is close to land, theatening population. Having a PTC allows the National Hurricane Center to issue advisories while the system still gets better organized. 

The system is forecast to be Tropical Storm Barry by Thursday, and forecast to make landfall as a category 1 hurricanein Louisiana Saturday afternoon. 

SEE AREAS UNDER WATCH & WARNING
The storm is already developing storms over Louisiana, and the rain will continue constantly over the next three to four days. This will be a huge rain event for Louisiana, Mississippi, extreme southwestern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. There is plenty of time, and fuel, for this system to become much better organized and strengthen. Gulf waters are running around 4 degrees above average. Water temperatures in the upper 80s.
Over 15 inches or rain is expected from these storms. 

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There are no models that show this system crossing over Central Florida. In fact, models show Florida to be protected by a high-pressure system (located over the Atlantic) that will likely be guiding this system well west of Florida.
With the current forecast, we would stay with the typical, summer-like pattern: hot, afternoon thunderstorms. In fact, there could also be some dry spells, or below-average rain chances, as much of the moisture will be pulled toward the tropical system's center.
EYE ON THE TROPICS
It’s hurricane season, and as we approach the next few weeks, we will be approaching the peak of the season and will likely see more systems trying to develop and systems developing. Now is the time to make sure you have a plan for when the season picks up.
We will continue to monitor the situation and bring you the latest updates on our free WFTV weather app, wftv.com and on Eyewitness News. 

Watch your full 5-day forecast below:

More afternoon storms Wednesday's forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of scattered rain and storms with a high of 91.

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