Florida's timeline: severe storms on the move, tornadoes possible

Severe storms ravaged the Deep South on Saturday afternoon, following a severe storm outbreak across the Midwest on Friday evening and early Saturday morning.

A line of severe thunderstorms should arrive along the I-10 corridor during the early morning hours on Sunday. Expect stormy conditions between midnight and 9 a.m. from Pensacola through Panama City and Tallahassee. The storms are moving fast, at times at 50 mph. Around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, there was a storm moving through Pensacola and will continue to push through the late evening.

Luckily, the storm system loses some of its punch as it moves east. Nonetheless, there is still the chance of some strong tornadoes across parts of the Southeast. Tonight is the night to have at least three ways of receiving weather alerts, as the most severe thunderstorms will likely happen at night. Remember that nighttime tornadoes are twice as deadly as daytime tornadoes.

Stormy weather will push through Tallahassee between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Sunday. The storms will be arriving after sunrise on Sunday in North Florida. There’s still a chance for severe thunderstorms to happen east of Tallahassee through Jacksonville between 7 a.m. and 11 in the morning. With these isolated thunderstorms, damaging wind gusts of at least 60 mph could affect this region. The cold front will push through Central Florida between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday. There could still be a few scattered thunderstorms and an isolated storm that could develop damaging winds and hail, and we cannot rule out the chance for a tornado to spin up.

Across South Florida, the weather will be mostly benign on Sunday. A strong southerly flow will bring warmth and humidity across the region on Sunday. The most significant hazard for South Florida, including Southwest Florida, will be the strong winds affecting the local beach areas. Remember, we are in the busiest weeks of spring break, and many people are visiting the beaches. They are small craft advisories that will stay in place throughout the day on Sunday across Florida's southeast coast. There’s also a high risk for rip currents along the entire east coast of Florida. Swimmers are urged to stay out of the water or swim wherever there’s a lifeguard on duty.

As the front inches closer to South Florida, the chance for showers and isolated storms will increase between 10 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday. Isolated showers could move through (fast due to the strong winds) across South Florida, but the highest chance will be overnight as the line pushes through. Many South Florida residents will deal with scattered thunderstorms during the Monday morning commute.