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Rainy season soaker brings power outages
Heavy showers are forecast into Monday.
By NICOLE HUTCHESON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 18, 2007
Heavy downpours Thursday night marked the start of the area's peak rainy season, causing property damage and power outages in parts of Pinellas County. Meteorologists estimated that almost three inches of rain fell in less than two hours Thursday night, according to measurements at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. More heavy showers are expected for the weekend into Monday, according to Anthony Reynes, a forecaster for the National Weather Service. August marks the rainiest month for the Tampa Bay area. "There's a time to get rain here," Reynes said. "This is the time." The rainfall began around 8 p.m. Thursday, along with heavy winds. Brief blackouts were reported along the southern portion of St. Pete Beach. "It was raining sideways and windy," said Scott Renton, a bartender at The Brass Monkey, a restaurant at Eighth Avenue and Gulf Way overlooking Pass-a-Grille Beach. "The lights kept blinking on and off." Farther north, the heavy rains caused a leak in the roof of three second-story units at the Sabal Walk Apartments, at 2065 North Highland Avenue in Clearwater. Four residents had to be evacuated. More rain is expected this weekend as a low pressure system in the upper levels of the atmosphere approaches southern Florida, Reynes said. There is a 20 percent chance of rain today Saturday, increasing to 40 percent on Sunday. The increased rain comes after the area suffered a period of drought in May and June. Normal average rainfall for the Tampa Bay area in August is 3.83 inches for the entire month. "So far we're at the norm," Reynes said. "Or, maybe a little over the norm. Carol Lucia, a 30-year member of the Garden Club of St. Petersburg, is elated about the onset of rain. "Let's face it: Everything was so bad a couple months ago," said Lucia, 68. "The grass was just awful, but now it's just perked right back up." Nicole Hutcheson can be reached at nhutcheson@sptimes.com or (727)893-8828.
[Last modified August 17, 2007, 23:19:15]
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