Forecasters expect a rough patch of weather neighboring our coast to drop some much-needed rain in the Tampa Bay area this week.

An area of disturbed weather in the eastern Gulf of Mexico will boost the chance of rain in the afternoons through Friday to as high as 80%.

“Think of afternoon storms, but maybe just a little bit more than what we’ve been seeing in the past week or so,” said Kyle Hanson, a meteorologist for Spectrum Bay News 9.

The weather in the gulf is a nontropical, low-pressure system that forecasters said only has a 20% chance of developing into a tropical system over the next week, according to a Wednesday afternoon update from the National Hurricane Center.

While the system has a low chance of forming, the hurricane center is continuing to watch the disturbed weather.

If that last sentence made a slight chill run down your spine, take solace in knowing that this weather will actually do some good for our area.

“Overall, it’s beneficial for us because we are still running below normal for rainfall in Tampa and St. Pete,” Hanson said. “So we could use the rain.”

Most areas in Tampa Bay could see at least 2 inches of rain through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Some inland areas could see up to 4 inches. Even coastal areas, which generally get the short end of the rain stick, are expected to get at least 1.5 inches of rain.

Hanson said some areas could experience street flooding during heavier storms. There is also the possibility of some gusty winds.

“In terms of severe weather — could there be some nuisance flash flooding in some of these afternoon storms? Possibly,” he said.

The Tampa Bay area remained in an extreme drought, according to a May 25 update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, the area is officially in the rainy season, which forecasters expect will end drought conditions in the next few months.

March was a particularly dry month in Tampa Bay, when most of the region saw less than 50% of normal rainfall amounts, according to a preliminary climate summary from the weather service. April did not fare much better, the report said. However, some late May storms dumped rain on the area recently.

The weekend will likely be a little less wet. The chance of rain falls to 50% in Tampa on Saturday and 30% on Sunday. Most of that rainfall will be in the afternoons, according to the weather service.

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