Heavy rains are expected for many areas across Florida to start the week, flooding likely

The most active weather approaches Florida on Monday. South Florida is under a flood watch that will be in effect through Tuesday morning. A flood watch is also in effect for the Panhandle, covering Tallahassee. More weather alerts will likely be issued, especially dangerous warnings for flash floods and severe storms on Monday, along different parts of the Peninsula.

The channel of moisture continues to push closer to the Sunshine State. Monday will be a very active day, where many areas could experience flash floods. Flash floods are extremely dangerous as they often catch many people off guard due to the water rising rapidly in a short amount of time. If you encounter any flooded roads, please stay away from them. Remember the saying, "Turn around, don’t drown". Floodwaters could be deeper than expected, even when traveling over familiar areas. Six inches of water could make your vehicle stall. Twelve inches of water could float a car.

For South Florida

The most intense weather will enter Southwest Florida overnight into the early morning hours on Monday. Heavy precipitation and the chance for severe thunderstorms will likely occur across Southwest Florida between 3 a.m. and noon. The most dangerous timeframe for southeast Florida will be between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Here, torrential rains will likely fall over highly populated areas, producing flash floods. Rain totals across South Florida will be between three and six inches. Isolated spots could reach eight inches.

For Central Florida

Although there’s no flood watch in effect as of 7:30 p.m. Sunday, several flood advisories could be issued for Central Florida. This peninsula region has received heavy precipitation over the last few days due to the sea breezes igniting strong to severe thunderstorms. Rainfall totals across Central Florida will range between 2 and 4 inches. However, there could be some isolated areas that could accumulate up to 7 inches.

For North Florida and the Panhandle

Heavy rains will be constant throughout the day on Monday into Tuesday, but more spread out. The deeper moisture will affect I-10 east of Tallahassee through Jacksonville. This region is closer to the low spinning just to the north; therefore, several storms will train one after the other, likely during a longer stretch than in different places in Florida, as the moisture pushes east and the storm activity moves from southwest to northeast. There could still be some areas across North Florida where 2 and 4 inches of rain could fall. These areas have received rainfall in the last few days; therefore, the ground, although also dealing with a drought, is sore from recent rains, and some spots could be saturated.

The weather will gradually become more stable on Tuesday. However, deep moisture will still flow across parts of South Florida, which could lead to isolated storms, especially on Tuesday. Wednesday is when we’ll see the most significant improvement in weather as the sun returns, but the warmth will stay in place. Highs across South Florida will remain in the upper 80s, while Central Florida will also experience warm temperatures close to the upper 80s.