Tornadoes, thunderstorms possible for Bradenton area Tuesday

Much welcomed rain could be coming to the Bradenton area Tuesday, but may bring along more severe weather with it.

National Weather Service meteorologist Dustin Norman said the main threat for the Bradenton area is damaging winds and some threat of tornadoes. However, he noted, the threat increases to the north.

Just before 3 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service website showed a 50 percent chance of showers Monday night and a 70 percent chance for Tuesday.

While the area is not currently under any warning with the National Weather Service, Norman recommends residents keep a weather radio or their phone with weather notifications turned on near their bed in case any warning is issued.

As the area approached near record-high temperatures Monday, storms moving in could cool things down, Bay News 9 meteorologist Mike Clay said. He pointed to a possibility of showers and thunderstorms for Bradenton but not a significant risk for tornadoes. Clay said the storms could come through the area around mid-day Tuesday, ending in the afternoon.

The last time the area saw significant rainfall was when Hurricane Matthew struck the east coast, but the lack of rainfall is not unusual, according to Clay.

“But this time of year it's supposed to be dry,” Clay said.

Patrick Mahoney, wildfire mitigation specialist for Myakka River District of the Florida Forest Service, is just glad for rain.

“A little bit is better than none,” Mahoney said. “Our drought index is climbing just because of a lack of rain.”

Manatee County’s current drought index is 484, according to Mahoney, with Sarasota at 508. The scale runs from 0 to 800, with 0 representing no moisture deficit. The scale estimates the dryness of the soil and increases for each day without rain while decreasing when rain falls, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website.

“I know last year we were wetter and with the rainfall that we've gotten or will get, hopefully it will cool it down,” Mahoney said.

His biggest concern is lightning. Any strikes, he said, lead to a week-long watch for fires.

“Our biggest problem is not so much tomorrow, but be on lookout Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And with holidays and long weekends people doing outside activities need to be cautious,” Mahoney said. “If you see a lightning strike, watch that area. If you see smoke, call 911 and report it. Watch for about a week unless that area got a lot of rain. Fire can pop up several days after strike.”

Temperatures are expected to drop later in the week, with highs in 60s and lows in 40s, Clay said.

This story was originally published December 5, 2016 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Tornadoes, thunderstorms possible for Bradenton area Tuesday."