Weather impacting NFL Pro Bowlers all week in Orlando

A storm is forecast to take shape over Texas and advance eastward over the Gulf of Mexico region this weekend.

A powerhouse storm is not expected to develop, but the system has the potential to disrupt some weekend outdoor plans from the Texas coast to the Florida Peninsula. The forward speed of the storm will determine if inclement weather impacts outdoor activities such as the 2020 Pro Bowl, the National Football League's all-star game, in Orlando on Sunday. However, indications point toward the storm not arriving until well after the game has ended.

The bulk of the rain is forecast to fall over the Gulf of Mexico, but a few hours of showers are likely from late Saturday to Saturday night over central and southeastern Texas.

On Sunday, the showers will push eastward across the lower Mississippi Valley and the central Gulf coast, where a thunderstorm cannot be ruled out.

During Sunday night, the rain and embedded thunderstorms are expected to push across the northern and central parts of the Florida Peninsula. However, it may take the better part of Monday morning for the rain to clear the central counties of the peninsula.

AFC safety Minkah Patrick is interviewed as NFC running back Dalvin Cook looks on before they compete in the Gridiron Guantlet at the 2020 Pro Bowl Skills Showdown Wednesday, January 22, 2020, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Only if the storm moves a bit faster than currently projected would rain move in during the Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando during Sunday afternoon. It poured for the games there in 2018 and 2019. Between 0.25 and 0.50 of an inch of rain fell in 2018, but 2 inches of rain drenched the region in 2019.

Should rain hold off for the 2020 game as AccuWeather is predicting, it would be the first game played in dry weather since Jan. 31, 2016, which was the last game played at Honolulu, Hawaii.

It was a chilly week of practice for the players who were selected to compete in the game. Star quarterbacks such as Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson could be seen going through warmups wearing long-sleeved shirts and hooded sweatshirts as below-normal temperatures were recorded in the region.

NFC players watch the action in the rain during the first half of the NFL Pro Bowl football game Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)

Temperatures are forecast to reach the upper 60s by the 3 p.m. EST kickoff, slightly below the normal high of 71 for Jan. 26 in Orlando. By the end of the game, temperatures will settle in the lower 60s.

A west-northwest wind of 7-14 mph will contribute to slightly lower AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures during the Pro Bowl, AccuWeather meteorologists say.

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The rain could be heavy enough to delay some flights out of Orlando and Tampa, Florida, from Sunday night to Monday morning. People with plans at area theme parks early on Monday, or fans heading home from the Pro Bowl, may want to keep checking the forecast and potentially delay those plans until the afternoon or Tuesday.

For South Florida and the Keys, rain and thunderstorms are likely to affect the region much of the day on Monday. So plans for the beach or a boating excursion may be best accomplished this weekend or put on hold until Tuesday.

Most areas from Louisiana to Florida do not need rain thanks to an ample supply of moisture they have received this winter.

However, any rain that falls from central Texas to the Lone Star State coast may not be frowned upon both in the short and long term. Conditions in these areas range from abnormally dry to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. However, at this time, it appears most of the rain will tend to fall east of these needy areas of Texas although there will be a few exceptions.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.