Rain coming: What to expect in Brevard Saturday with potential tropical storm approaching
Brevard County is under a tropical storm warning ahead of the approach of the remnants of a hurricane that landed on the Pacific Coast of Mexico at the end of May.
The warning also is in effect for Osceola, Okeechobee, Martin, Indian River and St. Lucie counties and is scheduled to last through Sunday night.
With the likelihood of a tropical storm forming, Brevard was expected to face a high chance of rain over the weekend and possible flooding, officials at the National Weather Service in Melbourne said.
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Increased rainfall is likely to begin in the south or southwest of the state and spread north before pivoting over central Florida and the coast over the weekend, NWS meteorologists said.
Widespread showers and lightning are possible before the storm moves offshore Sunday into Monday. Officials warned of possible wind gusts of tropical storm force, flooding in some areas, and possible tornadoes.
Matt Volkmer, science and operations officer at NWS Melbourne, said southern parts of Brevard will likely see between 3 and 5 inches of rain over the weekend, while the northern parts may only see 2 or 3 inches at the most.
"There will be a fairly wide range (of precipitation) from the north part of the county down to the southern part of the county," Volkmer said.
The storm is coming from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where Hurricane Agatha made landfall May 30. With maximum winds of 110 mph, the Category 2 hurricane set a record as the "strongest May landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico" since recordkeeping began in 1949, according to the National Hurricane Center. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season started May 15.
The track of the storm is still uncertain, with NWS officials saying that "a rare amount of uncertainty this far out remains with the forecast heading into this weekend."
They said trends between models are shifting towards a track that shows the storm is most likely to travel from southwest Florida through the Treasure Coast or slightly north of there. They warned that regardless of its specific path, poor weather was expected in Brevard County.
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Volkmer said the system was expected to develop into a tropical storm by Friday evening as it approached the southwest coast of Florida, with the latest track showing it moving over Lake Okeechobee Saturday morning.
"The model trends have been for a quicker motion of the system as it moves up across Florida (on Saturday) and with the current track, the primary hazard we're expecting from the system is rainfall," he said.
He suggested people get any loose items off their lawns or porches before the storm hits in case of strong winds, and recommended not driving in flood-prone areas.
Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Weather: Brevard under tropical storm warning: what to expect Saturday
