Enjoy the sunshine and blue skies found in some parts of the Tampa Bay area this afternoon. Forecasters from the National Weather Service’s Ruskin office say they won’t last long.
“We do have a little break, but looking out over the Gulf (there’s) deeper moisture,” said meteorologist Jon Jelsema. “We do expect rainfall to increase.”
Jelsema also said the tornado watch that was set to expire at 2 p.m. Monday has been extended until 11 p.m. It includes Hillsborough, Sarasota, Pasco, Pinellas and Manatee counties, he added. A watch means that conditions are ripe for tornado development. If a probable tornado has been spotted, the weather service will issue a tornado warning. To keep up with warnings throughout the day, visit the weather service's severe weather summary page.
The entire Tampa Bay area also remains in a Tropical Storm Warning zone as Debby continues to hang out just off the west coast of Florida. A tropical storm warning means that "tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are expected somewhere within the specified area within 36 hours," according to the weather service.
Jelsema said conditions are expected to deteriorate in the Bay area as the afternoon wears on. Heavy showers and squalls are expected through the night.
“These showers or squalls will produce very gusty winds,” he said, adding that some areas have already seen gusts of between 50 and 60 mph.
In the meantime, the National Hurricane Center has updated its forecasted track for Debby. There has been little change since this morning’s update.
Stay with Patch for updates on Tropical Storm Debby as they become available.
People are worried about their property and related storm news. Shame on you.
A local state of emergency has been declared in Pasco, which is under a tornado watch until 11 p.m.
Here is a link to the story about on Palm Harbor Patch about the damage on Tampa Road. I believe it is just the sidewalk, but a road detour is in effect: http://patch.com/A-v46X As for flight information, I know of someone who left on a flight out of TPA with no problems, but it's best to check with the individual airlines as things can change quickly.
Tampa Rd. is open now, and is totally fine with no problems at all. A road *near* Tampa Rd. was partially washed out. The name of the road is Lake St. George Drive. A link to the story about the damage on Lake St. George Drive is here http://patch.com/A-v46X Stay safe out there!
I am the Editor of Palm Harbor Patch. There is not a sinkhole on Lake St. George Drive, the road was partially washed out by floodwaters that overwhelmed the drainage system. This is what I was told by the Sr. Utilities Public Works Inspector for Pinellas County. A link to the story is here http://patch.com/A-v46X Please visit http://palmharbor.patch.com for other updates, I have a lot of photos and coverage. Please stay safe and thanks for reading :)
54 is not completely flooded, but it looks like water from Seven Springs (or maybe the river?) is getting out onto 54. Cars on both sides were confining themselves to the innermost lanes, the 2 outermost were several inches deep. The Walgreens parking lot was mostly submerged.
Sorry!
news report said sailboats broke loose and were damaging cortez rd. wow, hope all are safe over the next few days!
Absolutely thrilled that you cover Sarasota and surrounding area's and in all different area's as well. "Thank you!!" Lisa Ledwith