Quiet weather Monday; severe threat returns Tuesday

We get to enjoy another pleasant and dry day across Southwest Florida on Monday. Look for a cool start to the day before highs warm back into the low to mid-80s under a mix of sun and clouds.

While Tuesday will feature a dry start, rain and storms return to the area beginning late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night and Wednesday as a low-pressure system scoots across the northern part of the Florida Peninsula.

We’ll have to watch for the potential of an isolated strong to severe storm Tuesday evening into Wednesday, where a level 1 out of 5 severe storm risk is in place across Southwest Florida for both days.

The main threats will be damaging winds and lightning, but the tornado threat is non-zero.

Right now, rainfall amounts will be heaviest for areas farthest to the northwest, where amounts of near an inch will be possible for Sarasota and northern Charlotte county. Those amounts decrease for areas farther south and east.

Dry weather returns in time for St. Patrick’s Day with quieter conditions persisting through Friday.