Pattern change to increase rain chances on the Suncoast

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The warm and dry weather pattern of the last five days has broken down and a change is in the wind.

Today will once again be warm, with temperatures in the low-to-mid-90s from coastal counties to inland counties. Temperatures on the beaches will be held to the 80s by the afternoon sea breeze.

The high pressure ridge that has brought the dry and sunny weather will be eroded somewhat by an approaching back-door cold front, and aloft, little vortices of upper-air winds will destabilize our atmosphere.

These features, when added to the collision of the west coast and east coast sea breezes with increasing atmospheric moisture, will up our rain chances to the highest we will see this week. After lunch, a 40% to 50% chance for showers and thunderstorms will lead to much-needed rainfall. Storms building inland will drift back to the Gulf giving both inland and coastal areas a chance for late-day rain.

The moisture associated with an east-moving system out of Texas will linger for several days across the Suncoast. This will continue to bring rain chances each afternoon to the Suncoast into the weekend.

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