Manatee County weather to cool before Thanksgiving holiday warmup

MANATEE -- Changes in the weather are bringing rain back into the forecast, according to Bay News 9 chief meteorologist Mike Clay.

Thereis a chance of scattered showers and even a few thunderstorms through Wednesday evening.

Temperatures met or were near record highs in the afternoon and the humidity is high for November. This will lead to a continued chance of showers overnight and throughout much of Thursday.

Tampa hit 89 degrees at 2:31 p.m., which broke the record of 88 set in 1988. This was the seventh record high this month.

A slow-moving cold front stretches from the western Florida Panhandle into the Gulf of Mexico. Ahead of this front, a few thunderstorms produced tornadoes in the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday. There was minor damage in Destin earlier.

With rain in the forecast for Thursday, temperatures won't be as warm. Highs will be in the lower 80s.

Behind the front, expect drier weather Friday and Saturday, with just a slight chance of showers. It could still be mostly cloudy and turning a little cooler.

Another upper-level disturbance will track over Manatee County on Sunday with a 30 percent chance of rain.

All models point to a significant cooling trend for more November-like weather next week. Highs could only be in the upper 60s on Monday, with high clouds and sunshine. Lows could drop well into the 40s, especially in northern counties.

The coolest weather will be Monday and Tuesday, followed by a warming trend into Wednesday and Thanksgiving.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County weather to cool before Thanksgiving holiday warmup ."