Happy Sunday South Florida.
Hopefully everyone was able to enjoy the first half of their weekend even though there were times where heavy rain moved in. There was some dry time as well so hopefully everyone was able to take advantage and run their weekend errands during that time. Yesterday we saw times of downpours and this morning was no different at this. There were a few areas that saw showers from time to time. This morning‘s radar looked a bit different than yesterday as there were more showers and thunderstorms that surrounded South Florida on either side. This was evident in water vapor satellite imagery as it showed tropical moisture spreading across the region.
As of this morning, Milton was a strengthening tropical storm with winds of 65 mph. And while we here in Florida are keeping a close eye on it, Milton is still very far away drifting slowly towards the ESE over the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Hunters Aircraft found Milton strengthening as the morning went on. A Tropical Storm Watch had been issued for the portions of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico from East of Cabo Catoche to Cancun. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Celestun to Cabo Catoche. No other watches or warnings have been issued so far. As of this morning, Miami Dade, Broward County and the Florida Keys were all out of the forecast cone. And while this is great news for the southeast coast of Florida, it is important to remember that impacts will be felt up and down the state and not just in the path of the storm.
Regardless of the exact track of this system, South Florida and much of the state will be looking at a multi-day rain event through the middle of the upcoming work week. And as we saw on Saturday, it won’t take much for flood advisories to be issued, especially across flood-prone areas of South Florida. Rainfall estimates forecast rainfall estimates for Florida could be anywhere between 4 to 8 inches of rain with isolated higher amounts possible across some locations.
Because of the ongoing rain event across the region, A flood watch has been issued for all of South Florida through Thursday morning. Wind speeds are also forecast to pick up as Milton grows in size and intensifies into a hurricane. No advisories have yet been issued regarding wind, but that will likely come as the storm gets closer down the road.
Looking ahead, South Florida will remain unsettled through the middle of the upcoming work week with a daily dose of tropical downpours and thunderstorms from time to time. The rain that is forecast to move in starting today and on Monday are not related to Milton. Ahead of Milton, an area of low pressure(non-tropical) has developed and will be pushing across Florida during this time. And with plenty of tropical moisture surrounding the region, this will enhance shower and thunderstorm activity across the region until Milton actually reaches the area. So be sure to have your rain gear with you not just as Milton gets closer but starting today until all of the tropical moisture is swept away. And by the way, some good news could be in our forecast. Since there will be a front stalled over our state, it seems Milton might actually take this front with it and behind it, it could actually bring relief from the heat. More importantly, it could bring a slight dip and humidity levels by the end of the work week.
Be safe out there!
Erika Delgado
Meteorologist
WSVN / Channel 7 News
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