South Florida’s rainy season started off to an unusually wet start, but the downpours are expected to back off for the rest of the week.
Flood watches and advisories were in effect from Sunday to Wednesday morning, with rain totals reaching more than 4 inches in parts of Miami-Dade County on Monday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Will Redman. Yet, no reports of flash flooding have been reported, Redman said. Rather, while some roads saw some minor flooding, the heaviest bands of rain stayed offshore, lessening the chances for actual flooding.
And the rest of the week from Wednesday and into the weekend is not expected to be slammed with the level of rainfall the region saw the last few days, Redman said. Cooler air and overcast skies will define the region on Wednesday from “decaying thunderstorm activity,” according to the National Weather Service.
A big reason for the lessened rain can be attributed to the massive cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert making its way over the region. This wave of Saharan dust, which isn’t expected to fully dissipate until after the weekend, will dry out the atmosphere and reduce the chances for thunderstorms, Redman said. If the region does get rain, it would be in the form of shallow showers, he said.
Chances for scattered showers on Thursday, Friday and into the weekend are between 30% and 40% along the coast and between 60% and 70% in the inland areas, Redman said.
Despite the rainy season beginning on May 15, Redman said this period of consecutive, heavy rainfall is unusual.
“This setup, this is not your typical water pattern,” he said. “A normal situation is what we’ll see the next few days with the afternoon and evening showers and storms and then clearing out overnight.”