ORLANDO, Fla. – As we head into the weekend and the official start of the new school year on Monday for most Central Florida students, we’re looking at a an active and wet weather pattern across the region.

FRIDAY

We’re starting the morning with scattered showers and even a few isolated thunderstorms rolling in off the Atlantic.

As the day progresses, expect widespread storms to develop inland, especially by afternoon and early evening.

Rainfall could be heavy at times. Lightning, brief gusty winds and localized flooding are all possible.

Highs will range from the upper 80s near the coast to low 90s inland, but heat indices could still reach 100-105 degrees before the rain helps cool things down.

WEEKEND

A stalled front over north-central Florida will hold very deep tropical moisture in place through the weekend, keeping a widespread (70-80%) threat for rain.

Coastal areas could see activity in the morning and again overnight, while inland areas will get the brunt of the storms in the afternoon and evening.

Storms are expected to move slowly, producing up to 2-4 inches of rain in some areas. This setup will increase the threat for localized flooding through the weekend, which is why the Storm Prediction Center has highlighted western counties under a Slight Risk (Level1/5) for excessive rainfall.

BACK TO SCHOOL

For the first day of school for most of Central Florida, make sure students are prepared for rain and possible delays.

Showers and storms could impact both the morning drop-off and afternoon pickup windows. Rain chances remain elevated at 70-80%.

Highs each day will generally stay in the upper 80s to low 90s, but again, expect heat indices to creep into the triple digits before the rain arrives.

NEXT WEEK

The soggy pattern continues into midweek with 50-60% rain chances each day.

The steering flow remains weak, meaning storms will be slow-moving and somewhat erratic. Coastal counties may still see morning storms, with interior neighborhoods seeing afternoon and evening activity.