Tampa Bay in for a dreary, wet rest of the week

A drippy, drizzly and dreary couple of days are on tap for the remainder of the week in the Tampa Bay area.

Wednesday morning started gloomy, and forecasters expected scattered rainstorms to last through much of the day. Most of Tampa Bay had a 40-60% chance of rain with the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon. The remainder of the week is likely to be a rinse and repeat cycle, with most days hovering at a 40-60% chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

Friday will be the day with highest chance of stormy weather, with an 80% chance of scattered showers. Rodney Wynn, a meteorologist with the weather service, said this week will be “pretty typical stuff.”

None of the stormy days will bring a threat of severe weather, though there is a chance for thunderstorms, Wynn said. The area is seeing a boost of moisture from a tropical low pressure system hanging nearby in the Gulf of Mexico. The patch of soggy weather is not being monitored by the National Hurricane Center, and is not a storm threat, Wynn said.

Over the next five or so days, meteorologists expect about 2 to 3 inches of rain to fall across the region. Areas that see thunderstorms could get more, Wynn said. While the rain is a welcome change of pace from what has been brutally dry and abnormal summer, it won’t be nearly enough to pull the area out of its current drought, Wynn said.

Most of Pinellas County is in a severe drought with some coastal areas of Manatee and Sarasota counties in an extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Wynn said some areas in the Tampa Bay area, especially along the southwest coast, are seeing up to 20 inches in rainfall deficit.

A spot of good news: The rain is likely to keep temperatures a few degrees below normal, in the upper 80s.

A spot of bad news: High humidity will make temperatures feel like temperatures are in the mid to upper 90s in some areas.

Rain chances begin to dwindle by Tuesday when they drop to around 30%. By early next week the sun is likely to be shining and temperatures will be in the upper 80s, according to the weather service.