Tampa Bay got rain and wind on Tuesday. More possible tonight and Wednesday.

Michaela Mulligan, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·2 min read
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Did you get a little shower on Tuesday, the first rain for your thirsty lawn to drink in weeks?

In Largo, in addition to rain, residents at a mobile home park were cleaning up damage and debris after gusty winds tore through homes Tuesday morning, according to reporting from Tampa Bay Times’ news partner Spectrum Bay News 9.

Photos of the scene at Pointe West Mobile Home Park, 12651 Seminole Blvd., showed torn roofs and debris lodged inside the outside wall of one home.

Areas across Tampa Bay, particularly to the north, felt wind gusts of more than 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Well, more weather — both wet and potentially severe — could be on the way.

Much of Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, will remain under threat of severe thunderstorms through Wednesday, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said severe thunderstorms are possible over portions of central and north Florida, along with the possibility of strong winds and a tornado or two.

Forecasters classified it as a “slight” risk, which is the second level on a scale of 1 out of 5, with “marginal” being the lowest chance of severe weather and “high” being the greatest chance.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday, the weather service placed portions of Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough under a severe thunderstorm warning that later expired.

There were reports of scattered rain across the region, the first rain in a while. In Tampa it last rained on May 2, though only 0.17 inches fell that day. The last rain before that was April 11, when Tampa got .45 inches.

The best chance of storms will likely by Wednesday, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Spectrum Bay News 9 is anticipating a 70% chance of rain across the area, according to its forecast.

“It’s kind of a tricky forecast, because its multiple rounds of weather possible over the next 24 to 36 hours,” Nicole Carlisle, a weather service meteorologist, said on Tuesday morning.

The weather service said a weakening cold front is moving south into Florida and will bring with it showers and thunderstorms that could begin late Tuesday into Wednesday across the Nature Coast and later into Tampa Bay.

Carlisle said up to an inch and a half of rain will be possible with the storms.

The weather service said heavy rain could cause flooding in low lying areas, particularly around Interstate 4 and to the north.

A combination of high temperatures combined with humidity ahead of the storms could lead to a heat indices of more than 100 degrees in Tampa Bay, according to the weather service.

Forecasters said to remain hydrated and to take several breaks from the sun, should a person need be outdoors. Otherwise, forecasters advised to remain indoors, away from the heat.