Miami Weather: South Florida Will Flirt With Near Record Heat
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Wednesday morning got off to a mild, muggy start across South Florida.
Inland areas woke to the low 70s with mid to upper 70s across the rest of Broward and Miami-Dade. Warmer low 80s across the Keys.
As we head throughout the day, winds will shift out of the southwest which will help to heat us up.
Near-record highs will be possible this afternoon. Highs will soar the low 90s. The CBS4 Weather team is forecasting a high of 91 degrees in Miami. The old record in Miami is 94 degrees set back in 2009.
It is more likely that Ft. Lauderdale will get near, tie or break a record since the forecast high is 90 degrees and the old record is 92 degrees set back in 1925. The forecast high for Key West is 88 degrees and the old record is 91 degrees set back in 2009.
When you factor in the humidity, it will feel like the upper 90s and some inland areas may feel like the low 100s.
Although the rain chance remains low with dry air in place, there will be a chance for a few stray showers today. Minor coastal flooding will be possible around high tide times. There is a slight risk of rip currents at the beach. There are no advisories for boaters.
Wednesday night will be warm with mid-70s and the potential for inland fog due to light winds and moisture at the surface. A stray shower can't be ruled out.
On Thursday we stay hot and steamy with highs once again climbing to the low 90s with a west wind in place. Heat index values will be as high as 101 degrees. Spotty storms will be possible in the afternoon as moisture begins to creep in. A frontal boundary will sag southward and then likely stall across South Florida on Friday and we'll likely see more showers and storms due to an increase in moisture.
On Saturday the front is forecast to lift back northward as a warm front and will keep us unsettled. With ample moisture and a southerly flow in place, scattered to numerous storms will be possible through the weekend with the potential for localized flooding. There is some uncertainty as to how much rain we'll see because it will largely depend on what happens with the low-pressure system forecast to lift northward into the Gulf of Mexico.
The GFS and European models are not in agreement on the path and intensity of this system. The GFS is forecasting the low-pressure system to move towards the Florida panhandle late weekend while the European model is forecasting the low will weaken and move towards the Gulf coast states. If the GFS model's forecast plays out and prevails, then we will likely see a wetter weekend across South Florida due to all the moisture associated with this disturbance.
The National Hurricane Center is giving this trough of low pressure just offshore of the coast of southern Mexico, in the Bay of Campeche, a medium potential (50% chance) of becoming a tropical or subtropical cyclone over the next five days. This system may become a tropical or subtropical cyclone late week over the western or central Gulf of Mexico while the system is moving generally northeastward. Hurricane Hunters are scheduled to investigate this area later today if necessary.
