Welcome to summer. Officially, that is. For us in south Florida, it’s as though summer has been with us since about March. The “summer solstice” officially occurred at 11:32 pm (EDT) Sunday night. It’s when the sun shines directly overhead on the Tropic of Cancer. Of course, many of us know it as the “longest day” in terms of daylight. Interestingly, as the seasons switch, you’d probably guess that Earth is closest to the sun, yielding the heat. Actually, it’s the opposite. Earth is now farthest (not closest) from the sun!
As for our south Florida weather, there’s no short supply of heat or humidity. Additionally, we start the new week with tropical moisture that wasn’t here just a couple days ago. You might remember, Friday and Saturday we had an episode of Saharan Dust that kept us cloudy and hazy, even DRY. Now, that dust has departed and additional moist air has been filling-in all across the region. This deep moisture will work in tandem with the daytime heat and developing Sea Breeze boundaries, only to bring back rounds of rain. On Monday, shower coverage isn’t expected to be any more than isolated (scattered, for inland areas). However, by the middle portion of the week, rain and storm coverage is likely to grow and wetter times are likely. With plenty of that available moisture lurking, it could lead to heavy downpours and the potential for street flooding. It’s all very typical weather for south Florida at the end of June!