Winds will go back and forth from east to southeast today as a low develops over the northwest Gulf and starts to slide our way. Gusty winds and building seas will prevail throughout Mother's Day weekend. This low will track through the southeast states on Mother's Day through early next week with a trailing front that will linger across the area through Wednesday.
Small craft should exercise caution due to the strong onshore flow. A Small Craft Advisory may go into effect early tomorrow morning. Persistent winds will result in higher seas over coastal waters. Our marine environment will definitely be hazardous for boaters.
For now, projected rain totals look impressive. Primarily, areas south of Highway 84 could pick up several inches, with isolated locales receiving 3 to 5 inches or rain. We can bank on this being a heavy rain event this weekend, with everybody getting wet at some point. Currently, it looks like the highest accumulations will occur Saturday night into Sunday morning.
As far as severe weather goes, it's dependent upon the path of that low. The further inland it goes, the better the chance for severe weather. We are not in the risk zone for severe weather right now. However, a few storms may pulse up to severe limits.
We'll keep a watchful eye!
Meteorologist, Kelly Foster
