Tornado Watch in effect for all Tampa Bay counties
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A tornado watch is in effect for all Tampa Bay counties.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the following counties, effective through 10:00 p.m. Saturday:
- manatee
- hernando
- Polk
- Hillsborough
- hardee
- Pinella’s
- pasco
- citrus
- highlands
Check out the live radar in the video player above. Download the free Max Defender 8 Weather App to stay one step ahead of severe weather at home and on the go.
ORIGINAL STORY: Although the weekend won’t be a washout, two final bouts of rain will come with the possibility of strong to severe thunderstorms.
This morning and the first half of the afternoon it will be dry, warm and airy. Temperatures will warm up into the upper 80’s and it will feel more like the upper 90’s with the added humidity. It will be windy outside too and before the showers and thunderstorms hit this afternoon.
Storms will approach the Gulf of Mexico coast after 2pm, there is a low risk of severe weather meaning some of the storms could be severe. The main hazards would be strong, damaging winds, but a brief tornado cannot be ruled out.
This round of rain will move inland into the evening and there will be a break in rain for the middle of the night hours. The final bout of rain will arrive before sunrise on Sunday as showers and thunderstorms roll in from the Gulf of Mexico. This will be a cold front moving all the way through and the storms will subside before Sunday noon.
Cooler and drier air will be filtered Sunday afternoon so winds will remain fairly gusty but the afternoon will be dry. Temperatures will only climb into the upper 70s on Sunday afternoon, although the sun will return.
Lower humidity arrives behind the front and some cooler air settles in for the start of the work week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings kick off in the mid 60’s and feel refreshing. High temperatures will be in the low to mid 80s. Humidity will return towards the end of the week, but it will remain mostly dry.