Update: The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch until 3:00 p.m. Thursday for the Tampa Bay area. A Coastal Flood Warning is in effect until 8:00 p.m. for all of Pinellas County and the coastal regions of Coastal Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota Counties.
According to a post on X by the National Weather Service Tampa Bay, severe thunderstorms are possible in the area on Thursday.
The NWS says that winds and flooding could be an issue.
On Thursday afternoon, Tampa Bay residents could expect “Minor to moderate coastal flooding.”
The NWS warns motorists to be careful of gusty winds, especially while driving high-profile vehicles over bridges.
Here is a radar and wind video of the simulated path of the storm:
The National Weather Service also posted a timeline of when Tampa Bay area residents might expect impacts.
The Nature Coast should expect the line of thunderstorms on Thursday morning. The line will spread south as the day goes on.
It says that, especially north of I-4, isolated storms may be “strong to severe.”
But nice weather will follow the front.
According to a post on X by Pinellas County Emergency Management, “Another strong cold front is forecast to move through #Pinellas on Thursday (04/11), bringing with it the potential for an isolated severe thunderstorm.” The county recommends that people sign up for Alert Pinellas as well as monitor forecasts from The National Weather Service Tampa Bay.
According to the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) Storm Center, “After sunrise Thursday, the line of storms will move into the Florida Penisula. As the storms track across the state Thursday, the potential for rotating supercells will not be as high. However, the squall line will still be capable of generating some damaging wind gusts of 60 mph or more and an isolated tornado will still be possible.
“Thursday evening, the severe threat will end as storms move offshore. Cooler and drier air will return to the state for the weekend.”