Hurricane Rina Weakens; Rain in Our Forecast

Weather forecasters are keeping an eye on Hurricane Rina, a Category 1 storm swirling off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula that could strengthen and possibly threaten the Tampa Bay area later this week.

The latest maps from the National Hurricane Center on Wednesday morning placed Bradenton and Sarasota just within the storm's "cone of uncertainty" as it is expected to move over the western Caribbean toward Cuba and South Florida this weekend.

Rina, with sustained winds of 85 mph, has significantly weakened, forecasters in Miami said Wednesday. It is still expected to bring rainfall amounts of 8 to 16 inches over the Mexican coast and Cozumel and a storm surge with large and destructive waves.

The National Weather Service's five-day forecast for the Bloomingdale area calls for a 50 percent chance of showers Friday and a 30 percent chance on Saturday. No specific storm warnings have been issued for the area.