Watch out for a wet weekend: Slow-moving rainstorms moving through Brevard County could produce some localized chances for flooding, the National Weather Service is Melbourne warns.
Following a 70 percent chance of showers on Friday, July 31, more rain is also expected as the calendar flips to August, crushing most worries about drought-like conditions that plagued the Space Coast through several hard freezes earlier this year, followed by a dry spring.
“The good news is that we’ve had enough rain to get us out of the drought for the most part,” said Derrick Weitlich, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“There are still some extremely dry areas in western Brevard.”
Weather forecasters say that localized rainfall, caused by a buildup of atmospheric moisture, could produce up to 3 to 5 inches of rain in some spots, causing roadways, some construction zones and low-lying areas in neighborhoods to flood.
The rains have also led, in some cases, to a number of crashes along heavily traveled highways — including Interstate 95 — and roads across Brevard over the last week of July.
The rainstorms — part of the summertime wet season — could begin developing through the afternoon and linger into the evening, officials said.
Rainfall totals for the year are .68 inches above normal, weather officials point out. The rainfall total for Melbourne is 27.19 inches of precipitation since Jan. 1.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard County faces small flood risk from rains as drought washes away
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By J.D. Gallop, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
