Storm to drench, raise risk of flash flooding in northern Caribbean into midweek
While a storm is not expected to develop tropically, it will still bring drenching showers and thunderstorms to the northern Caribbean islands and the Bahamas into the middle of next week.
People with vacation plans and local construction projects in the region may experience substantial disruptions and delays over the next several days.
A weakening storm will still tap into an abundant amount of moisture and deliver a steady stream of showers and thunderstorms to Hispaniola, Jamaica, the Bahamas and eastern and central Cuba through at least this weekend.
"Locally heavy rainfall may occur in some areas at a time of the year that is still usually rather dry in the region," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert and Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said. "This may help to replenish local water supplies following the dry winter months."
Several inches of rain may fall on parts of the islands in the region.
Too much rain may fall too fast and lead to flash flooding, especially on the islands with mountainous terrain, such as the larger islands of Hispaniola, Cuba and Jamaica.
Motorists and pedestrians are urged not to attempt to cross flooded areas. Even just a few inches of rushing water can knock you off your feet. The water may be much deeper than it appears, and the road beneath the water may have been undermined.
Despite the anticipated lack of tropical development, any thunderstorms in the region have the potential to be locally gusty.
Bathers and boaters in the region should keep an eye out for rapidly-changing weather conditions. People should move indoors at the first sign of a thunderstorm, while boaters should promptly move to protected waters near shore.
Gusty winds have also heighten the rip current danger, especially along the south- and east-facing coasts.
"This storm will bring some showers and thunderstorms to parts of southern and eastern Florida this weekend," Kottlowski said, "but the heaviest rainfall will probably stay just east of the peninsula."
While anyone with outdoor plans may be disrupted, Kottlowski added that the unsettled weather will be beneficial to Florida in helping to reduce rainfall deficits.
"Moisture from the storm may also surge northward to enhance rainfall along the coast of the Carolinas Saturday night into Sunday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
Showers and thunderstorms may linger well into midweek from Cuba to the Bahamas. The moisture is expected to become trapped between an area of high pressure over the west-central Atlantic Ocean and another high pressure area forecast to build across the Northeastern and interior Southeastern states.
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