Strong storms to sweep in with front

Heavy rain, winds and maybe hail in the forecast for Sunday.

A sweep of severe weather is forecast to reach South Florida on Sunday, bringing with it the threat of strong thunderstorms, small hail and a low chance of tornadoes.

The National Weather Service in Miami is expecting the worst of the storms to begin late Sunday afternoon and last through the evening, but the timing could change depending on how fast the triggering cold front travels down the peninsula.

All of South Florida is under a marginal threat Sunday for severe weather — the lowest level on the Storm Prediction Center’s 5-tier scale.

But a stretch of the state from Brevard County into Georgia is under a heightened “slight” risk

of severe weather, which carries an increased threat of tornadoes, bigger hail stones and more robust thunderstorms.

“We’re most concerned about heavy rainfall and strong straightline winds, but there is still a chance for isolated tornadoes,” said Larry Kelly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami. “The system is still way back in the Plains, so we

have some time to watch it.”

Anyone headed to outdoor events Sunday, including the popular Delray Affair, will want to keep an eye on the radar.

Festival Management Group Executive Director Nancy Stewart-Franczak said Delray Affair officials and emergency personnel are monitoring the weather for potential concerns. The event is open until 5 p.m. Sunday.

Despite the calendar claiming it’s mid-April, winter still has a firm grip on parts of the country with blizzard warnings in Nebraska, winter storm warnings in Minnesota and winter weather advisories in upstate and western New York where forecasters said accumulating sleet of 2 inches or more could knock out power temporarily during the weekend.

Parts of South Dakota could see as much as 18 inches of snow through Sunday.

“My concern for South Florida are wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph with the Sunday

Festival Management Group Executive Director Nancy Stewart-Franczak said Delray

Affair officials and emergency personnel are monitoring the weather for potential concerns. The event is open until 5 p.m. Sunday.

storms,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Walker. “Some downpours could equal 3/4–inch of rain, but some places might get up to 2 inches.”

Although a U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday shows most of South Florida experiencing moderate to severe drought, it does not include Tuesday’s rainfall, which was more than 2 inches in some parts of Palm Beach County.

Still, most of Palm Beach County is at a 4.5-inch rain deficit for the year, according to the South Florida Water Management District. The 16-county region overseen by the district has an average rain deficit of 4.2 inches for the year.

Kelly said some areas could see minor flooding from Sunday’s storms depending on where the heaviest downpours occur.

Ahead of the front, temperatures will reach into the mid-80s Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday’s overnight low may drop only to 75 but will cool behind the front to 59 degrees Monday.

Tuesday’s high temperature may not reach 80 degrees with sunny skies and no chance of rain.

And this may not be the last cool front for Florida.

Walker said another storm system is expected to roll across the country late next week.

“This is our severe weather season,” Kelly said. “As of right now though, this is the cold front we’re concerned about.”