Flood watch continues after heavy rains douse Sarasota, south Manatee Tuesday night

The National Weather Service's Flood Warning for Sarasota and Manatee counties Tuesday was scheduled to expire at 12 a.m. Wednesday, after being extended two hours, from 10 p.m., as rain continued into Tuesday night.

The weather service said between 5 and 10 inches of rain had fallen Tuesday evening, with an additional 1 to 2 inches possible. The rain was from a tropical system in the Gulf.

The rain had abated by midnight, and the forecast called for lower chances of rain overnight, until increasing by 6 a.m., with high chances throughout Wednesday morning.

The weather service said areas that experienced flooding included Sarasota, Sarasota Springs, Southgate, Kensington Park, The Meadows, South Gate Ridge, north Sarasota, Gulf Gate Estate, Lakewood Ranch, St. Armands Key, the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, Fruitville Road, Bee Ridge, Desoto Lakes, Vamo and Osprey.

The National Weather Service posted a Flood Watch that remains in effect through Thursday evening. The watch covers Sarasota and Manatee counties, as well as Hardee and DeSoto, and the communities of Parrish, Lakewood Ranch, Myakka City, North Port, Sarasota, Bradenton, Wauchula, Venice, Englewood, Bowling Green, Arcadia, and Anna Maria Island.

"Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible," the weather service noted.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Flood watch issued as more rain expected in Sarasota-Manatee Wednesday