With tropical storms forming parentheses around Florida this weekend, the weather here should be largely unaffected. The good thing about Tropical Storm Gustav, about to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, is that the result is “sinking air” over the Tampa Bay area, which means it could be a little dryer than normal, forecasters say.

The Labor Day weekend forecast calls for temperatures to reach into the 90s and lows to dip into the upper 70s - and pretty ideal weather for the University of South Florida first football game of the season against Tennessee-Martin at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night.

The typical summertime weather patterns are in place, Todd Barron, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin, said this morning. That means sea breezes from the Gulf and sea breezes from the Atlantic meet over inland Florida, causing raucous thundershowers during the late afternoon hours. That pattern will continue uninterrupted throughout the weekend, he said. The afternoon showers expected Saturday - there’s a 50 percent chance - should subside by the 7 p.m. kickoff, he said.

“It should be pretty nice,” Barron said. “We have a 20 percent chance of rain on Saturday night and temperatures in the mid-70s.”

The same can be said of Sunday, he said, and of Monday, Labor Day, as well.

For the rest of today, he said, skies will be partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain, and scattered thunderstorms over inland areas late this afternoon.

“They will start to pick up after 2 p.m.,” he said.

Meanwhile, deep in the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Gustav continued its trek west-northwest and was just west of Jamaica this morning. The storm was making for the Gulf at 8 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Sustained winds were at 73 mph, just shy of hurricane strength.

Forecasters say that as it heads into the open water between the western tip of Cuba and the Yucatan peninsula, it could strengthen significantly. The projected path of the storm has it heading for somewhere between the Florida Panhandle and Texas, likely making landfall by Tuesday.

In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Hanna, about 250 miles northwest of Puerto Rico, continues its northwest path at about 14 mph with sustained winds of 50 mph. It could threaten the Bahamas by Wednesday, hurricane center forecasters say.

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