Orlando weather: Wet weather trend builds through weekend across Central Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. - Tonight's low: 77 degrees | Tomorrow's high: 94 degrees
It will be hot, humid, and muggy in Central Florida on Thursday with highs in the 90s, though the heat index (the "feels like" temperature) will again be in the triple digitals. You can expect sunny skies with a mix of clouds throughout the day. Late afternoon, we do expect to see scattered showers throughout Central Florida. Coverage will reside in the 70% range.
Due to a heavy tropical connection, storms again will produce heavy rain, many lightning strikes, and isolated bursts of strong wind gusts. Storms will persist through p.m. Wednesday night and should slowly ease during the late-night and overnight hours. It will again be hot and muddy overnight.
BEACH FORECAST
It will be humid at the beaches. Afternoon highs soar to the 90s this afternoon with heat index values soaring to the triple digits. Make sure to drink plenty of water and find shade! Surf will be in the 1-foot range with a moderate rip current risk. The UV Index soars to an extreme level, so reapply a good quality sunscreen today. Rain chances along the beaches could fire up by 12 p.m. but, the lion's share of coverage will really boost as we head deeper into the pm hours. Heavy rain, gusty winds, and lightning strikes will be the primary concerns. Rain chances along the beaches will also hover in the 70%+ range at peak.
THEME PARKS FORECAST
We have a scorcher of a day at the theme parks. Forecast highs soar to near 94 with heat index values expected to peak as high as 108 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms will be likely this afternoon, with coverage at 70% mainly after 2 p.m. Heavy rain, frequent lightning, and gusty wind at times are possible.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT THIS WEEK?
Stormy afternoon skies will be the norm as we close out the remainder of the week. Rain chances hang in the 60-80% range during this time. The heavy tropical rain threat will continue. Rain chances dry up a bit early next week as a weak area of low pressure helps to torque a front through the area. Stay weather aware and download the FOX 35 Storm team weather app to track the radar right on your cell phone.
3 tropical waves show potential for growth
The National Hurricane Center is watching three disturbances in the Atlantic. Two have low chances of formation over the next week (40%) while one has a medium chance of formation (50%). Another one has a 20% formation in the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 - November 30. Officials are now predicting an above-normal hurricane season.
Tropics heating up: 3 disturbances in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
We're tracking two disturbances in the Atlantic and one possible future disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. One tropical wave has a low chance of development at 40% over the next 7 days. This feature is located near the Western African coast. The second tropical wave is located just West of disturbance number 1. This feature has a 50% chance of developing over the next 7 days.
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Both of these waves are moving in a WNW direction. The last "future system" could develop in the Western Gulf of Mexico over the next several days as a weak tropical wave moves through. Chances are currently near 20%.