Tropical Rain To Drench South Florida

Tropical rain is on the way to South Florida on Sunday, and we can expect a drenching over the next few days, thanks to the disturbance we’ve been watching. Sunday will feature some early showers and storms, with most of the moisture associated with the disturbance moving in Sunday afternoon and evening. Look for periods of heavy downpours and gusty winds, starting in the Keys and along the east coast and working its way into the Naples area. The risk of dangerous rip currents will be high at all South Florida beaches at least through Tuesday. Sunday’s highs will be mostly in the upper 80s, with some readings in the low 90s along the Gulf coast.

Monday will be stormy throughout South Florida, with periods of heavy rain and gusty winds throughout the day and into the night. Localized flooding is possible in some areas. Monday’s highs will be in the upper 80s.

The tropical moisture will remain on Tuesday, and all of South Florida will see stormy periods, heavy rain at times, and highs in the upper 80s.

Showers and storms will pass through South Florida on Wednesday, as the tropical moisture lingers. Highs will be in the upper 80s.

We’ll see a gradual transition to more typical late summer afternoon storms on Thursday, and highs will be around 90 degrees.

The disturbance we’ve been watching is slowly moving west-northwest through the Florida Straits and is not well organized. The National Hurricane Center gives it a medium chance of developing into a depression as it makes its way in the Gulf of Mexico, possibly reaching Florida’s northern Gulf coast or panhandle by midweek. In any event, the system will bring plenty of rain to the Florida peninsula, with 6 inches or more of accumulated rainfall at some locations over the next few days.

Elsewhere in the busy tropics, Hurricane Gaston is slowly moving northwestward well east of Bermuda and is not a threat to land.

And another area of low pressure about 100 miles southwest of Bermuda has a low chance of developing as it moves toward the North Carolina coast, where it is expected to bring periods of heavy rain and gusty winds in a few days.