Residents advised to prepare for heavy rain, tropical disturbance

Pinellas County Emergency Management is advising residents to prepare for heavy rain and the possible development of a tropical disturbance in the Gulf in the next few days. Showers and storms, with locally heavy rainfall, remain in the forecast through the weekend.

A tropical disturbance emerging from the Caribbean into the eastern /central Gulf of Mexico will bring increasing moisture and a renewed threat for more widespread heavy rainfall from late Friday into the weekend.

Local impacts are expected to include:

• An additional three to five inches of rain through the next seven days.
• Locally, rainfall may exceed six inches.
• Localized flooding is likely in areas that see higher rain totals and are susceptible to flooding.
• Stream and river flooding concerns through the week remain due to the continued threat for heavy rain.

In addition, a tropical disturbance continues to spin near the Yucatan Peninsula. This feature now has a 90% chance of developing once it moves into the Gulf of Mexico.

Regardless of development, the main threat to our area looks to be additional heavy rainfall and flooding. Pinellas County will be closely monitoring the situation and will relay any new information or weather threats as warranted.

Now is a good time for residents to review their preparedness plans in case of a weather-related event or emergency. Residents can also sign-up for Alert Pinellas to receive emergency notifications directly to their phone and email. Visit www.pinellascounty.org/alertpinellas to sign up. Residents can also download the Ready Pinellas app to view preparedness checklists and customized plans by visiting the Apple App Store or Google Play.

For more information about preparing for weather-related events or emergencies, visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.Residents advised to prepare for heavy rain, tropical disturbance.