Home Weather Sunny Start, Afternoon Storms For Florida Thursday; Closely Watching The Tropics

Sunny Start, Afternoon Storms For Florida Thursday; Closely Watching The Tropics

Thursday features a sunny morning, but some storms will develop in the afternoon and a few could linger into the evening.  A moderate risk of dangerous rip currents remains along the Palm Beach County coast.  Highs on Thursday will be near 90 degrees close to the coasts and in the low 90s further inland.

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Friday will bring plenty of sun, with just the chance of a quick shower or storm in spots during the day.  Look for a storm or two overnight.  Friday’s highs will be in the low 90s.

Saturday will feature another sunny morning, but showers and storms will be back in the afternoon and could hang around into the evening.  The Gulf coast will see breezy conditions Saturday night.  Saturday’s highs will be near 90 degrees.

Sunday will be mostly sunny with passing showers and storms on an ocean breeze.  Sunday’s highs will be in the upper 80s.

Monday’s forecast calls for good sun, clouds at times, and periods of showers and storms.  Highs on Monday will be near 90 degrees in the east coast metro area and in the upper 80s along the Gulf coast.

In the tropics, we’re paying very close attention to a wave that’s now in the southeastern Caribbean.  This wave has a high chance of becoming a depression by the weekend.  It’s currently bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to the Windward Islands, portions of the Venezuelan coast, and Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.  Computer models are not in agreement on this system’s track beyond the next three or four days.  But it could pose a threat to portions of Florida next week, so we’ll watch it carefully and be ready to take action if necessary.

Hurricane Fiona is on the move, and there’s now a hurricane warning for Bermuda.  At 5 am, Fiona was located near 27.4 North, 70.6 West, about 485 miles southwest of Bermuda and 1250 miles south-southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Maximum sustained winds were 130 miles per hour, and Fiona was moving north-northeast at 13 miles per hour.  Fiona is expected to make its closest approach to Bermuda tonight, accelerate, and make landfall in the Atlantic provinces of Canada on Saturday.

Tropical Storm Gaston continues moving through the central Atlantic.  At midday on Wednesday, Gaston was about 375 miles west-northwest of the central Azores, and there’s a tropical storm warning for the western and central Azores.  Maximum sustained winds were 65 miles per hour, and Gaston was moving east-northeast at 17 miles per hour.

Elsewhere, the wave in the tropical central Atlantic has a low chance of becoming a depression in the next five days.  And another wave is just entering the far eastern Atlantic.  This wave has a medium chance of developing as it moves northward, close to the African coast.

Donna Thomas has studied hurricanes for two decades. She holds a PhD in history when her experience with Hurricane Andrew ultimately led her to earn a degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University. Donna spent 15 years at WFOR-TV (CBS4 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale), where she worked as a weather producer with hurricane experts Bryan Norcross and David Bernard. She also produced hurricane specials and weather-related features and news coverage, as well as serving as pool TV producer at the National Hurricane Center during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Donna also served as a researcher on NOAA's Atlantic Hurricane Database Reanalysis Project. Donna specializes in Florida's hurricane history.