IMC IN VFR FLT WHEN TSTM ACTIVITY STARTS UP ON A PROJECTED NIGHT OP IN AN SMA.

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PROBLEM AROSE ON VFR FLT IN LANTANA (PALM BEACH COUNTY) TO ORLANDO. SHOWERS RPTED W OF MELBOURNE (LIGHT SHOWERS). CONTACTED FLT WATCH N OF STUART ASKED WHICH RTE WOULD BE BETTER -- WESTERLY RTE (FL TURNPIKE) OR E UP COAST TO MELBOURNE AND CUT ACROSS TO ORLANDO. TOLD W WOULD BE BEST. APPROX 15 MINS LATER I APCHED IFR CONDITIONS AND IMMEDIATELY MADE A 180 -- I COULD SEE THE GND. AS I COMPLETED THE TURN TO S; FLT WATCH CALLED TO WARN THAT STORMS WERE DEVELOPING ALONG WESTERLY COURSE -- AND THAT I SHOULD DIVERT UP COAST. I SAID I HAD ALREADY MADE A 180 -- AND I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT ENCOUNTERING IFR SO I ASKED HIM TO STAY WITH ME; UNTIL I REACHED THE COAST. HE ASKED ME TO SQUAWK 7700 SO ZMA COULD PICK ME UP AND MOMENTS LATER I SAW THE COASTLINE THROUGH GAP IN CLOUDS. I BELIEVE VFR FLTS IN SUMMER EVENINGS IN FL; REQUIRES ADDITIONAL PREPARATION -- AS TSTMS CAN COME UP SO QUICKLY. THE FLT WATCH CTLR; WHO WAS MOST HELPFUL; APOLOGIZED THAT THE TSTMS CAME UP SO QUICKLY. ON EVENING FLTS; I BELIEVE A FLT PLAN SHOULD BE FILED -- AND PLTS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO TURN AROUND WHEN APCHING IFR CONDITIONS. I HAD RPTED FLYING INTO IFR -- BUT IT WOULD BE MORE EXACT TO SAY I FLEW INTO MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS AS I COULD ALWAYS SEE THE GND; AND PROBABLY HAD 2000 FT VISIBILITY -- BUT COULD SEE THAT IN SECONDS I WOULD BE IN IFR. MELBOURNE AND VERO WERE VFR AT THE TIME. AFTER FLYING MORE THAN 20 YRS IN FL; THIS IS THE FIRST SUCH ENCOUNTER I HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED -- AND IT HAS PROMPTED ME TO PURSUE MY IFR TICKET.