Rain expected on Thanksgiving

1-2" of rain possible in some areas, Black Friday may be wet too

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Forecast models are predicting a wet Thanksgiving this year, with the possibility of a soggy start to Black Friday as well. 1-2" of rain may be possible in the heaviest areas, which will most likely be to the South of I-10 with the current predictions. 

A trough will move across the State from the Gulf late tonight and into Thursday, bringing waves of rain washing across the state during the day on Thursday. The low will track from Tampa across to Ocala, over to in between Daytona and St Augustine as in enters the Atlantic Ocean. 

Rain on Thanksgiving Day is relatively rare for us, here's a breakdown of how often we see it...

The potential for severe weather is low to nonexistent. Extensive cloud cover leading up to the low pushing through will curtail our potential for daytime heating, which limits the energy in our atmosphere available for thunderstorms to develop.

Thanksgiving will start out cloudy, with rain holding off for the morning hours. The first wave of showers will be light, moving in from the Gulf, making I-75 and Highway 301 wet by the mid morning hours. After lunch we can expect the rain to be along I-95, with wetter conditions as we make our way into the afternoon and evening hours.  Waves of rain will push Eastward and East-northeastward across the state. The potential for the heaviest rain lies across our Southern counties. Daytime temperatures will run below normal, topping out only in the mid 60s. 

The showers will continue to push through into the overnight hours, making Black Friday a soggy challenge. The forecast models show good chances for rain through mid day Friday. 

Rainfall totals through Friday vary, we have to potential to pick up 1-2" of rain area wide, with the heaviest rainfall totals between 2-4".  Heavy rainfall may be a travel concern- please be careful out on the roadways. 

Friday night the skies will begin to clear, which kicks off a mostly sunny weekend.