First Alert Weather: The Suncoast rain machine is shifting into gear

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Our weather pattern has shifted, so be prepared for a wetter work week.

This will be due to shifting winds, increasing moisture, and a cold front that slowly sinks over Florida. These factors will bring us as much as an 80% rain chance this week. This is much-needed rain as we continue with an extreme drought caused by a rainfall deficit of 19 inches since the start of the year.

Today our winds will shift to the southeast and moisture will continue to increase. With daytime heating in the low 90s and sea breeze collisions favoring southwest Florida storms, our rain chances in the afternoon will climb to 70% to 80%. This general pattern will persist into Tuesday.

By midweek, a slow-moving cold front will enter the state and slowly progress south before stalling over us. This front will then inch south until it finally clears the state late this weekend. The addition of the front into the weather pattern will add another trigger to initiate the storms and keep the rain chances elevated.

Once the front finally clears the state our rain chances will decline next week.

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