South Florida will see another late summer day on Tuesday as the Carolina coast prepares for powerful Hurricane Florence. And we’re keeping a close eye on Isaac as it moves toward the Lesser Antilles.
Here at home, Tuesday will see sun and clouds with some showers moving in during the afternoon hours. Highs on Tuesday will be in the upper 80s.Wednesday will bring more widespread showers but periods of sun as well. We’ll feel a bit of the effects of Florence with swells along the Atlantic coast and a high risk of dangerous rip currents at the Atlantic beaches from Wednesday through the weekend. Wednesday’s highs will be in the upper 80s along the east coast and around 90 degrees elsewhere.
Thursday will feature some sun, clouds, and passing showers and storms. Thursday’s highs will be near 90 degrees.
Look for more of the same on Friday — some sun, clouds, and periods of showers and storms. Friday’s highs will be mostly in the upper 80s.
Saturday’s forecast includes a mix of sun and clouds with periods of showers and storms. Highs on Saturday will be mostly in the upper 80s.
Hurricane Florence is expected to be a devastating event for the Carolinas and Virginia. At 5 am Tuesday, Florence was located near 26.4 North, 64.1 West, and was moving west-northwest at 15 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were 140 miles per hour, and Florence could reach category 5 strength. A hurricane watch and a storm surge watch are in effect for Edisto Beach, South Carolina northward to the North Carolina/Virginia border. Florence is forecast to make landfall late on Thursday as a very powerful major hurricane and then move slowly inland as it weakens, causing flooding rains over a wide area. Everyone in the mid-Atlantic should prepare for effects from Florence.
We’re watching Tropical Storm Isaac, which has weakened overnight. At 5 am Tuesday, Isaac was located near 14.6 North, 48.6 West, and was moving west at 14 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were 70 miles per hour. Isaac is expected to move through the Lesser Antilles Thursday into early Friday. But the computer models diverge on Isaac’s track beyond that, with some recurving the system while others keep it in the Caribbean. South Florida and the Bahamas need to watch Isaac.
Hurricane Helene is not a threat to land, fortunately. At 5 am Tuesday, Helene was located near 16.0 North, 33.6 West, and was moving west-northwest at 14 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were 110 miles per hour.
Elsewhere, a disturbance in the northwestern Caribbean has a medium chance of developing after it moves over the Yucatan and into the southern Gulf of Mexico in a few days. And a non-tropical low forming in the northeastern Atlantic has a medium chance of developing into a subtropical or tropical depression as it wanders in the middle of the ocean.
