South Florida will get much hotter this week as we wrap up the dry season

Dry air, few clouds and high sun will lead to the hottest temperatures of the year later this week, before wet season kicks in.

The National Weather Service said the last week of the dry season will remain true to its name, with dry conditions all this week, with the exception of a few small showers in rural inland areas earlier in the week.

The seven-month dry season unofficially runs from Oct. 15 to May 15 each year in South Florida, where the rest of the year is considered the wet season.

The remainder of this week will be dry, and grow quite hot toward the end of the week.

By Thursday and Friday, South Florida will see the hottest temperatures of the year thus far. The forecast calls for coastal highs of 88 degrees on Thursday and 92 on Friday.

Inland areas will be hotter. Wellington should reach 93 on Thursday and 96 on Friday.

Heat indices, or the “feels-like” temperatures, will likely reach 100 degrees or higher, said the NWS.

The warm weather will be accompanied on Friday by a stiff South wind clocking in at 23 mph.

Meteorologist Will Redman of the NWS said that dry air in the mid-level atmosphere will clear away most clouds throughout the week. “The sun angle is also getting pretty high now,” he said, “and with a decent amount of clearing each day, it’s going to be pretty hot, and get progressively hotter during the week.”

Winds Monday were out of the east, keeping things cooler on the coast, but they will shift to a southerly flow, making heat widespread, said Redman.