School’s out, time to play. But prepare for Florida temps that will feel near 100 degrees
Hitting the road this week? Wondering what the weather’s going to be like as schools let out, COVID restrictions lift, and the thought of piling into the car (or plane) for a getaway entices?
And where can you still find some snow in June?
Here’s what we know.
South Florida forecast
Above average temperatures approach 90 in Homestead and South Miami-Dade while Miami through West Palm Beach sweats a tad less in the upper-80s.
Heat index readings will be around 100 over South Florida’s western interior Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Miami said.
Rain chances are minimal and just 20% into Friday, according to the weather service in Miami and Key West. Can’t rule out an isolated thunderstorm in western areas of South Florida. The weekend brings a 30% chance with the odds for scattered thunderstorms increasing Monday.
The Keys saw some isolated rain Wednesday and the forecast into the week follows Miami-Dade’s, more or less, with Sunday night and Monday’s 50% the best chance for storms.
There’s a moderate risk for rip currents along Atlantic coast beaches this week and the slight chance of a waterspout on Atlantic waters Thursday.
Orlando forecast
Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and other attractions are hot, hot, hot — and that’s not a review of the fun factor. It’s June in Florida, and Wednesday through Saturday’s high temperatures in the mid-90s are all the proof you need that summer is here.
Rain and storm chances are minimal through Friday at just 10% to 20%, according to the weather service in Orlando. Storm chances increase on Saturday at 30% but it’s Sunday and into the next work week that Orlando could be rocking some summer soakers.
Sunday’s 60% storm chance increases to 70% Monday and yields the center’s hazardous weather outlook notice. Wednesday’s chance of gusty winds up to 40 mph with lightning strikes and heavy rainfall could be a tease of what travelers and residents may see Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Central and west Florida forecast
Here’s where the oven really roasts. Temperatures in Naples, Everglades City and Immokalee are at 95 degrees — and that’s not even counting a heat index that will make it feel even hotter. Mostly dry, too, with just isolated and scattered thunderstorms into the start of next week.
Saharan dust
Why is it mostly dry despite it being the “rainy season?”
Apparently, a plume of Saharan dust is currently moving across the Atlantic and is acting as a rain deterrent, the weather service posted on Twitter. The good news is that Saharan dust also limits tropical development.
So where can we still see snow?
You can see snow. Really. But not in Florida.
Head to Seattle and Mount Rainier, Weather Channel meteorologist Danielle Banks suggests. Crews are clearing the roads as “more and more park visitors continue to flock in and admire the snow-covered trails,” she said in a video as snow still fell Wednesday.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 1:16 PM.
