Happy Summer 2019, South Florida!

While today marks the first official day of Summer, we have been feeling that MIAMI HEAT for some time now.  Temperatures the last few days have continued to warm and today will be no different.  Today is officially the longest day of the year with a little over 13 hours of daylight expected.

Unusually drier air & a broad high pressure system over the Atlantic will leave for another rain-free day across South Florida.  As if that weren’t enough, a layer of Saharan Dust from the West Coast of Africa has made its way across the Atlantic & some of it has even reached South Florida (which is why our sky has been a bit on the milky side)!  Now let’s add a southerly wind component and this will help temperatures soar into the mid to low 90s this afternoon.

As if all of THAT weren’t enough….factor in the humidity and heat indices (the FEELS LIKE TEMPS) will soar well into the 100s!  Afternoon temperatures down in the Keys today will be feeling anywhere between 105-110 degrees so a HEAT ADVISORY has been issued for all of the Keys & Mainland Monroe.  While we should all keep hydrated today, spending any significant time outdoors today is not advised.

While hot, hazy & humid conditions leak into the upcoming weekend, temperatures have the potential to be even hotter Saturday afternoon than we’ve seen the last few days.  Heat advisories could possibly be issued for some spots across South Florida on Saturday as well.  While the weekend should remain mostly dry, isolated showers try to make their way back into the forecast as early as Sunday & Monday.  No significant rainfall is expected from now to then until the middle of the upcoming work week.

As we round the corner into the middle of the week, a few disturbances will help re-introduce showers and thunderstorms back into the forecast.  The rain, together with the return of the ocean breeze, should help moderate temperatures a bit, knocking them down to near-average for this time of year.  So while South Florida will enjoy dry conditions for the first day of Summer, the heat will be something we will need to worry about it today and tomorrow.

As dry air leaves quiet conditions across South Florida, it is also affecting the Tropics.  While a few tropical waves remained lined up anywhere from the West Coast of Africa all the way through Central America, the dry air over the Atlantic has kept them in check.  No tropical development of any sort is expected within the next 2-5 days.

So let’s re-focus our attention to the big story today – THE HEAT ADVISORY.  Just a friendly reminder that while temperatures reach the mid 90s today, heat indices (the FEELS LIKE TEMPS) will reach anywhere between 105-110 degrees today so please be sure to keep hydrated if spending any significant amount of time outdoors.

WELCOME TO SUMMER IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

Erika Delgado

Weekend Meteorologist

WSVN – Channel 7 News

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