The Suncoast is sliding back into its classic rainy-season rhythm this weekend. Dry air is pushing into the Gulf while deeper Atlantic moisture flows back in, which means scattered showers and thunderstorms return Saturday afternoon and evening. Storms will develop over the eastern part of the state in the morning, then spread westward onshore through the afternoon and early evening.
Your best bet for outdoor plans is the morning. Saturday starts mostly sunny and humid with seas around a foot or less and light chop on the water, about as calm as the Gulf gets this time of year. By afternoon the heat index climbs to just shy of 100 degrees, so pack the water bottle and plan shade breaks. Golfers, tennis players, and pickleball regulars, get those games in early.
That rain pattern continues through the weekend and into next week as Atlantic moisture keeps streaming in, so daily afternoon storms are back on the schedule. One thing that is not a concern: a low pressure system a few hundred miles southwest of the Azores has an 80 percent chance of tropical formation, but it poses no threat to Florida.
How do you handle the afternoon storm routine, early plans or radar-watching all day?
