A tropical disturbance already? Early system off Florida bringing rain to the Panhandle

The first disturbance of the 2022 hurricane season has moved into Alabama and is expected to be short-lived, with no chance of development in the next five days, forecasters said.

However, it’s causing stormy weather in parts of Florida’s Panhandle.

The National Weather Service Office in Tallahassee said there’s a “marginal risk” for severe storms in the region Monday, with heavy rain, strong winds and possible flash floods.

“Today will feature additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms from this morning through the evening hours,” the weather service wrote on Twitter on Monday. “Some storms could produce isolated damaging wind gusts, as well as heavy rainfall leading to poor drainage and localized flash flooding.”

The weather service says heavy rainfall could bring an additional one to two inches of rain northwest of Florida’s Big Bend, with some areas possibly seeing higher amounts. Thunderstorms could also cause damaging winds.

In Pensacola, for example, the forecast calls for an 80% chance of rain Monday, and in Tallahassee, 50%. However, it might not be too bad. The National Weather Service office that serves Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola said it will be like a typical summer day, with occasional showers and storms.

The disturbance, about 15 miles west-northwest of Pensacola early Monday, formed about a week before the official start of the 2022 hurricane season on June 1.

For the second straight year, forecasters began sending out formal tropical weather outlooks earlier this month because May has become the unofficial start of the season. Named storms have formed before June 1 the last seven years. Scientists say that’s due to better monitoring technology and possibly the influence of climate change.

While North Florida gets swamped, Miami will be sunny and hot.

High temperatures will rise to the high 80s, but it will feel like the 90s. And no rain is in the forecast.

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Miami Herald staff writer Alex Harris contributed to this report.