Persistent downpours to drench South Florida through Sunday

 By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Oct. 2, 2020 2:07 PM

The same system that has brought drenching downpours to South Florida during the latter part of the week will continue to affect the southern part of the Sunshine State, and even some locales farther north, through this weekend.

Earlier this week, a cool front advanced across much of the central and eastern United States but managed to stall over South Florida. As if the shower and thunderstorm activity was not enough from the stalled front alone, tropical moisture has become involved and will continue to help fuel the downpours through much of the weekend.

This image, captured during Friday midday, October 2, 2020, shows a band of clouds associated with a stalled front over southern Florida. A swirl of clouds associated with what would later become Tropical Storm Gamma can be seen over the northwestern Caribbean. (CIRA at Colorado State/GOES-East)

"Through Sunday, an additional 2-4 inches of rain is likely to fall with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 6 inches," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

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From Wednesday through Friday morning, rainfall in both Fort Pierce and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, topped 4 inches.

Much of the rain and downpours that hit other locations from the Florida Keys to the southern counties of the peninsula occurred in a few hours' time. Rainfall of this magnitude has produced urban flooding problems and can continue to do so through this weekend.

Some of the rain is forecast to surge northward into the central and northeastern counties of the state for a time.

As a weak storm develops along the front and moves northeastward along it, rain will swell northward into central Florida, including around Orlando, Tampa and perhaps Daytona Beach, for a time on Saturday and Saturday night.

Once this storm moves off to the northeast later in the weekend, dry air may move southward over the peninsula and could mark an end to the rain even in some of the southern counties on Sunday.

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"The downpours can not only put the skids outdoor plans but also hinder travel through city streets and on the highways in the area," Anderson said.

Motorists should be prepared to seek alternative routes if they encounter high water.

In addition to localized flooding from downpours, boaters should be alert for potential waterspouts in the adjacent waters of southern and central Florida and the Keys.

In addition to the downpours at hand from a non-tropical system, meteorologists are monitoring Tropical Storm Gamma near the Yucatan Peninsula and a second system that may move into the same general area next week.

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