Thursday, March 31, 2011

Severe storms bear down on Sarasota


A cluster of severe thunderstorms will soon begin to hit the Sarasota-Bradenton area from Siesta Key north, according to the National Weather Service.The National Weather Service reported a 41 mph wind gust near Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport at 2:17 p.m.

The weather service warns that the storms are expected to continue through 3:15 p.m.

Expect gusty winds of 45 to 55 mph and torrential rains. The area is still under a tornado watch, although the threat appears to be diminishing. Forecasters say they do not want to rule out the possibility of tornadoes as the weather system moves southward into warmer, more moist air.

Earlier
Several storms are still approaching Southwest Florida from the Gulf of Mexico and are expected to begin bringing rain and powerful thunderstorms within the hour. The storms, however, are not expected to be as severe as those that swept through the Tampa and Lakeland areas.

"We're not expecting the activity to be as crazy as it was further north, but the potential still exists," said, Andrew McKaughan a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Ruskin.

Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte, and several other counties, remain under a tornado watch because forecasters are not ruling out the possibility for additional tornadoes. The watch will continue through 8 p.m. today, or until the severe weather threat subsides.

Thunderstorm activity in the system is beginning to wane and move farther south. It is not showing the strong rotation present in the cells that passed over the Tampa region.

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