THE FORECAST:

Today and Tonight: Expect a full day of abundant sunshine with afternoon temperatures topping out in the upper 80s to low 90s, and of course the humidity will be ever present making the heat index feel like the middle 90s.  Also, the possibility exists for a 60% of passing showers and isolated thunderstorms that will be much more sporadic in nature than was Wednesday.  Rain chances increase significantly into the late afternoon and early evening hours, with the possibility of some locally heavy rainfall occurring with some of the heavier storms.  Lingering showers into the early evening will dissipate leaving partly cloudy skies and overnight temperatures dipping to the lower 70s.

The Tropics: We are currently monitoring two areas of potential tropical development in the Caribbean and the Eastern Atlantic.

 The first is incurring shower activity associated with a tropical wave over the eastern Caribbean Sea, but it remains disorganized. This system is expected to move west-northwestward with no significant development, producing locally heavy rainfall over Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and portions of the southeastern Bahamas during the next few days. Over the weekend, conditions could become marginally conducive for development when the disturbance moves near Florida and the central and northwestern Bahamas. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting a 0% chance of tropical development within the next 48 hours, and a 10% chance of development within the next 5 days.

The second is a tropical wave that is accompanied by a broad low pressure system that is producing a large area of cloudiness and disorganized shower activity over the far eastern tropical Atlantic a few hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands. Upper-level winds are expected to be unfavorable for any significant development of this disturbance during the next few days. However, environmental conditions are forecast to become a little more conducive for development over the weekend. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting a 0% chance of tropical development within the next 48 hours, but increasing to a 20% chance within the next 5 days.

--Meteorologist Keller Watts

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