How much rain will the Tampa Bay area get this week? Here's a look

Tampa weather | Unsettled week ahead

FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg says this week will be unsettled, with variable clouds and scattered showers on Monday. Rain chances remain high through the Fourth of July and next weekend, with several inches possible over the next seven days.

TAMPA, Fla. - The week of July 4 will be a wet one for the Tampa Bay area, with the National Hurricane Center watching a stalled front over the Gulf that is expected to bring tropical downpours to the region in the coming days.

FOX 13 meteorologists say the pattern will be unsettled because of the area of low pressure that has stalled over the northeastern Gulf. The National Hurricane Center is giving it a low chance of development: 20 percent in the next seven days.

The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on an area of low pressure over the northeastern Gulf.

If it does develop, FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg says it should remain weak and act primarily as a rainmaker. Even if it doesn't develop, this week will be rainy.

"It's not a week where it's going to rain all the time, but a week where it could rain at any time," FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg said.

Monday forecast

Big picture view:

Meteorologists say showers and storms will be scattered on Monday with variable clouds that could keep the afternoon high from reaching 90 degrees in Tampa.

It will be a similar setup on Tuesday, according to Osterberg.

Rain is likely each day this week, meteorologists say.

What to expect July 4

What's next:

Osterberg says Wednesday, July 2, through Friday, July 4, could be the wettest days of the week as deep tropical moisture moves over Central Florida.

Deep tropical moisture is expected to lead to heavy rain later this week, meteorologists say.

"We may backload this week in terms of rainfall," Osterberg said. "Not getting a ton the first few days, but get a lot on Thursday and, unfortunately, that's going to lead us into the Fourth of July holiday."

Osterberg emphasized that the exact timing for the heaviest rain still needs to be fine-tuned as we move through this week, but models show several inches of rain could fall over the next seven days.