Here’s what two disturbances mean for South Florida’s weather this week
Of the two disturbances developing on either side of Florida at the moment, a system in the Atlantic, off the Bahamas, is the only one that is likely to affect Florida, the National Weather Service said Monday.
It’s likely to stay north of South Florida, but regardless, the region is still in for a wet week.
“Our moisture levels will increase as the week progresses regardless of that Atlantic system,” said NWS meteorologist Chris Fisher, “but it’s still too far away to predict rainfall amounts.”
The NWS predicts a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms each day this week in Fort Lauderdale and a 50% to 60% chance each day in West Palm Beach, with the moisture increasing as the week progresses.
The system in the Atlantic only has a 30% chance of developing into a tropical system in the next seven days, said the National Hurricane Center, but its possible trajectory includes north Florida.
“There’s uncertainty as to where it would go,” said Fisher, “but the main development region seems north of us here in South Florida.”
The heat dome that will sit over the Midwest and Northeast this week is a high pressure system that will steer the weather system in the Atlantic toward Florida.
“This appears to be a quick-moving and compact storm that will be moving westward into northeastern Florida or perhaps as far north as southeastern Georgia on Thursday,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski in an email.
The storm could bring rough surf and downpours from the northern Bahamas to the Southeast Atlantic Coast.
AccuWeather expert meteorologists say Melbourne, Florida, to Charleston, South Carolina face the greatest risk of heavy rain and rough surf.
The National Weather Service is calling for high level of rip-current risk from Miami up to Jupiter throughout the week.
Though South Florida is well away from the heat dome that will scorch the northeast later this week, Broward and Palm Beach counties will see heat index temperatures reach into the low 100s by Friday.
A system in the Gulf is more likely to beef up into a tropical storm.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center puts the odds of it strengthening into a tropical depression or storm by Wednesday at 70%.
But it won’t head our way. Forecasters say it’s likely to move north and soak the east coast of Mexico and Texas.