Tampa weather: Here's when rain is expected to return to Bay Area

TAMPA, Fla. - Rain chances will increase across Central Florida during the second half of the weekend as an active weather pattern moves into the region following isolated showers Thursday.

Central Florida weekend forecast

What we know:

Spotty showers are on tap later Thursday with a 20% chance of precipitation, while more substantial rain chances build heading into Sunday. 

Central Florida continues to face severe drought conditions, but an established strong El Niño pattern is projected to bring above-average rainfall to the area throughout the winter months.

What we don't know:

Forecast models show disagreement regarding the exact timing of the upcoming rain over the weekend.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg, who explained how we got it, as well as weather forecast modeling data.