TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – We saw widespread intense rainfall today as storms pushed onshore from the Gulf. Reports of flooded streets and neighborhoods poured in between 3-5 p.m. Radar estimated rainfall totals were between 1-3″.

The evening should be lovely once it finishes drying out, the temperatures will be cooler because of the rain. The won’t be enough time before sunset for the temperatures to rebound and warm back up.

We definitely need this rain. Many spots are experiencing one of the driest years on record so far, and the drought continues to increase for areas closer to the coast.

The weather pattern is similar tomorrow with a 70% rain chance, but the winds change on Saturday. Friday starts off with coastal showers moving onshore. Expect the rain to fade around the lunch hour along the coast. As we head into the evening, storms will push into our inland counties from the east coast, but they will fade after sunset.

Saturday is defined by the breeze from the east, the storms don’t develop until later in the day. Temperatures spike into the mid 90s before the storms, and the rain that forms pushes toward the Gulf of Mexico as opposed to away from it.

We have another change on Sunday. A tropical wave crosses the state from the Bahamas, and it increases the rain chances back to 70%. It could be a bit gusty at times as well.

Once that wave enters the Gulf of Mexico there is a slight chance for it to organize into a tropical depression, but it will be moving away from us. Much drier air follows that wave for us. Rain chances drop to just 20% on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the tropics, there are two tropical waves in the eastern Atlantic that may develop, but all signs point to them staying out at sea.