The most significant rainfall in months could be on the way to Florida’s capital city this week.
According to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, the area could see between 1 and a half and 2 inches of rain through Saturday, starting Wednesday evening.
As a base of comparison, Tallahassee has only seen 2 inches of rain total since March 1.
Low chance of severe weather possible ahead of days of rain, cold front
The forecast though comes with some good news and bad news, according to NWS forecasters.
“Bad news – severe weather possible today-tonight & Saturday. Isolated damaging gusts and/or hail are the main threats. A brief tornado is unlikely but can’t be completely ruled out,” the agency wrote on Facebook. “Good news – beneficial rains are coming (rainiest day is Saturday). Widespread 1-3 inches forecast today-Sunday night, locally higher.
“These values won’t be drought busting, but ANYTHING is better than nothing these days.”
It begins late Wednesday afternoon to Wednesday evening with a marginal (Level 1 out of 5) chance of severe weather. Then a cold front stalls somewhere between the coastline and just offshore “leading to unsettled weather.”
The chance of showers pick up Thursday with the possibility of a half inch of rain. The wettest day will be Saturday, which could see an inch or an inch and a half of rain.
What we would need to end the drought: This isn’t it
For months now, the Tallahassee area and large swath of Florida have been in the stranglehold of an exceptional drought. That’s made the wildfire season, which peaks in April, May and June, as one of the worst in decades.
“We’re not thinking this is going to be anything that is gonna improve much of the drought,” Cameron Young, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service told the Tallahassee Democrat. “We need several of these systems to come through to give us a fighting chance to get us through the drought.”
To end the drought over the next two months, the Tallahassee area would need to see about 20 inches of rain. About 12 to 15 inches of rain would get us closer to normal.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee could see decent rain but a lot more needed to end drought
Reporting by William L. Hatfield, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
