Strong storms expected Tuesday afternoon

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Central Florida saw some of its heaviest rain in several weeks on Monday, and another line of storms on Tuesday is expected to usher in cooler temperatures.  

Monday's storms brought down trees and caused power outages in parts of Alachua and Marion counties.  That same line of storms was expected to linger along the Atlantic Coast into early morning, then later in the morning, we can expect another dose. 

"The heaviest rain for Monday -- one to two inches from Gainesville to Ocala -- has already fallen," said FOX 35 Chief Meteorologist Glenn Richards.  "In metro Orlando, we saw about a quarter to third of an inch of rain."

The forecast on Tuesday calls for an additional two inches of rain for North Central Florida and about a half-inch of rain for parts of Central Florida, including Orlando.  Southern counties in the FOX 35/FOX 51 viewing areas could see an eighth to a quarter-of-an-inch of rain. 

"A line of storms will be rolling in Tuesday with strong winds, possibly an isolated tornado -- a small percentage possibility but we'll watch for that. The main threat of severe weather will be between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m." said Richards, "so just be aware of that."

After this second line of storms, we can expect a drop in temperatures, both in the daytime and night. 

"That front will move through, the skies will clear Tuesday night," Richards explained. "Wednesday, it's back to sunshine, and then it looks like we get some cooler temperatures, with highs near 70 and lows in the 40s."