ORLANDO, Fla. – Get ready for another typical July afternoon packed with heat, humidity and storms.
After a relatively dry start to the week, we will begin a transitional phase Wednesday toward a wetter weekend.
Light and variable winds across Central Florida will allow for the development of both the west and east coast sea breezes by the late morning. Both sea breezes will progress inland equally, colliding at the interior midpoint of the state my mid-afternoon.
Moisture over the state will offer enough instability and lift for a 50% chance of rain, with the most favorable development for strong storms across our inland zones.
A light steering flow will lead to slow-moving storms, which could contribute to localized flooding. Most of the activity should clear soon after sundown, with a slight chance of a lingering storms for our western counties.
Wednesday will be the final day of highs topping out in the mid-90s with “feels like” temperatures in the triple digits. The early development of the east coast sea breeze may even keep highs in the upper 80s to near 90 for our coastal communities. Lows will hover in the mid- to upper 70s.
Boaters and beachgoers should expect a pretty nice day.
Along the coast, highs will remain in the low 90s, with a light breeze.
Seas will be at 2-3 feet with a smooth to a light chop for intracoastal waters.
For those enjoying the sand today, a moderate risk of rip currents remains the highest threat. By Thursday, that risk will increase to the high category.
It looks like the driest day through the extended outlook will be Thursday.
A more dominant east coast sea breeze will keep highs in the low 90s, with most of the afternoon storms favoring the west coast counties. Rain chances will remain relatively low at 30-40&.
A wetter weather pattern returns by Friday and into the weekend.
A few weak plumes of moisture over the Bahamas will slide into Central Florida. Models continue to show rain chances at 60-70% through mid week. This will not be a washout of a weekend, but do expect a more widespread risk for rain each day.
The added clouds and onshore breeze will keep highs closer to normal, in the low 90s.
Tropical Tracker: Besides a few tropical waves in the Eastern Atlantic, no tropical development is expected within the next 48 hours.