Warm evening; storms continue Thursday, flood threat

It was a rainy morning in parts of Central Florida Wednesday, leading to a higher than usual chance of afternoon storms.

The afternoon has remained active with several places receiving over 2 inches of rain and frequent lightning.

The ground is already saturated across much of Central Florida. The showers and storms have produced flooding in areas where substantial rain has fallen in days past. More flood advisories will continue to be issued today. Rain and storms will start to break and cease after 8 p.m.

The high temperatures, even with the rain, still hit the low 90s is some places across Central Florida. Low temperature tonight will drop to 76 degrees.

The rain caused headaches for many drivers around Central Florida. The intersection at Ensenada Drive and El Prado Avenue in Orange County saw six cars get stuck in flooding waters. Nine people had to be rescued from their vehicles.

Watered Wednesday in Central Florida... flooding risk continues as the ground is well-saturated and the rain continues. #stormalert9 #wftv @WFTV (video: @TavoTV2) pic.twitter.com/2bqkgUeomW
— Irene Sans (@IreneSans) August 14, 2019

Watch Live: Doppler 9 HD | Live updates on Eyewitness News

Make sure to stay away from flooded areas. Poor drainage areas may easily flood.
Turn Around Don't Drown.

Advertencia por inundación. Zonas con mal drenaje pueden inundarse. Calles pueden estar inundadas, no intente cruzar. Tome vía alterna #stormalert9 pic.twitter.com/LXooFu9hmk
— Irene Sans (@IreneSans) August 14, 2019

Same storm..barely moving.
Good news is that it peaked in intensity.. now "only" about 180 lightning strikes in the last 15 minutes. #StormAlert9 pic.twitter.com/WGpdmBYMTL
— Irene Sans (@IreneSans) August 14, 2019

If you encounter a flooded street, please make sure to take al alternate route. Water may be deeper than expected. Only 6 inches of rain can cause a car to stall.

THURSDAY'S FORECAST
A similar pattern is in the forecast for Thursday. Early showers and scattered storms on Thursday, followed by more storm coverage during the afternoon.

There main threat will continue to be flooding across Central Florida. Some areas, especially over east Orange County have received over 6 inches of rain in the last two days with other generous rainfall in surrounding areas. Make sure to stay aware where storms are moving and how the might affect your commute as you may encounter some streets flooded.

Scattered showers will likely develop before noon, moving from west to east. Afternoon storms will build as the day's heating ramps up, some storms will be slow movers, triggering flood advisories. Drive safely.

The rest of the week is expected to be wet and hot, with the rain chances lowering to 50% by the weekend.

Know the difference: Heat exhaustion vs. Heatstroke

Watch your 5-Day Forecast below: