The day starts hot and humid with highs climbing into the low to mid 90’s. Showers and storms should begin developing near the East Coast around late morning or early afternoon before gradually shifting inland.
The highest storm coverage will favor the interior and Southwest Florida later today. A few storms could become strong, producing 40–55 mph wind gusts, small hail, frequent lightning and heavy rain.
Rainfall totals of 1–2 inches are possible across parts of the interior and Southwest Florida, with isolated amounts of 3–4 inches. That could lead to areas of street flooding where storms repeatedly move over the same locations.
The unsettled pattern sticks around Friday and through the weekend, with scattered to numerous afternoon storms possible each day.
Partial Lunar Eclipse Tonight
There’s also something special happening in the sky tonight — weather permitting.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from South Florida overnight Thursday into Friday. A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Moon moves through part of Earth’s darker shadow, causing a portion of the Moon to appear darkened and potentially reddish.
In Miami, the eclipse begins at 9:23am, with the more noticeable partial phase beginning at 10:33pm. Maximum eclipse occurs at 12:12am Friday, before the partial phase ends at 1:51am.
The big question will be cloud cover. With storms expected to fade during the evening, we may get some breaks in the clouds, but lingering clouds could interfere with viewing at times.
Watching the Tropics
In the eastern Atlantic, Invest 96L has become better organized midway between the west coast of Africa and Windward islands. The system has a 90% chance of development, and a short-lived tropical depression or storm could form today.
However, conditions are expected to become increasingly hostile beginning Friday, which should limit its opportunity for further development.
Have a wonderful day South Florida and make it a safe one!
Vivian Gonzalez
Meteorologist, AMS Certified
WSVN Channel 7