A weakening front that’s been slowly heading south across Florida is set to stall out right on top of South Florida, set to make for a windy end to the week and weekend.
At this same time, moisture levels will gradually increase from the south, leading to a rise in our rain chances by the weekend.
In the meantime, Friday will feature a nice end to the workweek with lots of sunshine for most, although some areas may experience periods of cloudiness with some passing showers. That looks to be very isolated, however. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 80s paired with fairly comfortable humidity levels.
Winds will be strong throughout the day Friday, sustained up to 15-25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph near the coast.
It will then turn even stronger on Saturday with gusts potentially up to 40 mph, and this is the day when winds are forecast to be the strongest.
By Sunday into Monday, it will still be breezy but definitely not as strong as the previous days.
Speaking of Saturday, the setup will be favorable for seeing isolated to scattered, quick-moving showers getting steered onshore by the northeast breeze, especially during the afternoon. Therefore, it could end up being a wet and windy day, especially by the coast.
Then on Sunday, showers will still be possible in spots but many areas should be dry. Otherwise, it will be warm, humid and breezy with a mix of sun and clouds.
By next week, a storm system will ride along the Gulf Coast, which will lead to the potential for afternoon showers and storms on Monday. Then a series of fronts will follow, with a potential cold front arriving by Halloween.
This will be the same front that is likely to keep Tropical Storm Melissa away from Florida.
The current forecast is for widespread lows to be in the mid to upper 60s and highs in the low 80s by late next week but there is the potential is could end up cooler.
Tropical update
Tropical Storm Melissa remains a very slow-mover Thursday afternoon as it gradually gets better organized over the central Caribbean Sea.
It remains forecast to become a hurricane by this weekend and then eventually a powerful major hurricane by early next week, with a track near or over Jamaica during that time frame.
As a result, Hurricane Watches and Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect for Jamaica as well as portions of Haiti.
While how strong the winds will be for these locations will depend on the exact track of Melissa, heavy rainfall — which can cause flooding and mudslides — is likely regardless of where exactly Melissa will go for parts of the Greater Antilles the rest of this week and even into the start of next week.
Looking ahead to next week, parts of Cuba, the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos should monitor the forecast for potential impacts given that Melissa is likely to turn to the northeast.