Cold Front Coming

The seasons first cold front will slide through SW Florida tonight. That will help to give us a mostly sunny, less humid weekend. Sunday morning temperatures will start in the 60's, the first of 6 AM's with lows in the 60's. - Jim

Pumpkin Spice Makes Everything Nice

Fall-like weather is rolling toward southwest Florida and beginning Saturday, you will feel a distinct change as dry air filters in behind a passing cold front. This fall blast means highs over the weekend and through the first half of the work week will be in the 80s and morning lows in the 60s! While mainly dry and less humid conditions are in the future, watch for afternoon isolated showers today and Friday and expect highs around 90 with morning lows in the mid 70s.

-KW

Drier weather on the way folks! The weekend looks awesome.. Lower humidity on the way!

A weak cold front will be moving through the area Friday evening. We could see a few showers then but behind the front, drier weather will be moving in. Dewpoints will drop into the low 60s. You will feel the change Saturday and Sunday for sure. This lower humidity will be with us through the begining of next week. There will also be a breeze from the northeast as well. That could bring in a few clouds but no rain in the forecast.

 

Both systems in the tropics will stay in the Atlantic.

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

AM Fog, Less Rain

After a soggy start to our Monday, it's the fog, not the rain that's impacting your commute to work this Tuesday morning. Visibilities are being reduced down to 1/2 of a mile at Page Field with visibility at 3/4 of a mile in Punta Gorda. A mix of sun and clouds will remain in the forecast today, with a few isolated showers and storms. Drier weather will continue to build into SWFL for the rest of the work week with mostly sunny to partly cloudy conditions and even lower humidity by the weekend.

Heavy Rains Moving Into Collier County this Morning Have Prompted Flood Advisories

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI HAS ISSUED AN *URBAN FLOOD ADVISORY* FOR WEST CENTRAL COLLIER COUNTY. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF NAPLES AND MARCO ISLAND UNTIL 200 PM. 1 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL HAS FALLEN ACROSS THE NAPLES AND MARCO ISLAND AREA OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES MAY OCCUR THROUGH 1 PM. ALSO, HIGH TIDE WILL OCCUR ALONG THE GULF COAST BETWEEN NOON AND 1 PM WHICH WILL SLOW RAINFALL DRAINAGE. AS OF 11 AM SEVERAL ROADS AROUND MARCO ISLAND WERE REPORTED TO BE UNDER WATER OR CLOSED DUE TO WATER INCLUDING SAN MARCO ROAD, BARFIELD DRIVE, AND HEATHWOOD NEAR THE CITY HALL. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY.

Tropical Moisture Stays in Place

Showers are off to an early start again across SWFL on this Sunday. The best chance to see any rain early this morning, will be across our coastal locations. Tropical moisture continues to feed into the region on a moist southwesterly flow, which will lead to more scattered thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and evening hours. Daytime temperatures will remain in the upper 80s with high humidity. It looks like we will be in a holding pattern through Monday, with another round of scattered storms, before some drier air starts to build in by Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Ophelia is barely hanging on to tropical storm strength with winds sustained at 40 mph, with no threat to land at this time. Tropical Storm Philippe, currently in the Eastern Atlantic, is packing winds of 45 mph, and the latest forecast cone has Philippe possibly intenisfying into a minimal hurricane by Tuesday, before recurving out to sea.

The Rain is Off to an Early Start...

Eventhough it's the first official weekend of the fall season, it's still warm and humid across SWFL! Tropical moisture remains in place today, and with a southwest flow coming in off the Gulf of Mexico, we will continue to see isolated coastal rain developing this morning, with a better chance for scattered storms this afternoon, especially across our inland communties. This along with a mix of sun and clouds will yield temperatures in the upper 80s to near 90° this afternoon. A similiar set up will be in place for Sunday with coastal morning rain and scattered storms throughout the afternoon. Tropical moisture will be replaced by a drier air mass moving across the peninsula, but not until the middle part of the work week!
-KM

Dear Mother Nature, It's Fall

Lower dew points and small chances for rain tend to constitute fall-like weather, but that isn't forecast to begin until Monday. So for today and through the weekend be prepared for morning and afternoon scattered showers and storms, as well as muggy air creating triple digit heat index values.

-KW

Scattered Storms

Scattered Storms will roam the area today and tomorrow. SOme of the rain could come a little earlier in the day tomorrow. - Jim

So Long Sweet Summer

The final day of summer will live up to its season. More moisture in the atmosphere and at the surface mean hot heat index values this afternoon and scattered showers and storms continuing through the evening. Morning AND afternoon showers and storms are in the forecast for your Friday, Saturday and Sunday before a more fall-like pattern builds in for the beginning of next week.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Ophelia will not threaten Florida in its lifetime, or any land mass for that matter in the near future. Beyond 5 days it's still too early to know definitively whether it will impact another portion of the U.S. coastline.

-KW

Scattered rain

Scattered rain returns through the evening. Tomorrow looks like a repeat with dry conditions in the AM and scattered rain in the PM. - Jim

Rain has returned! Storms today are moving quickly to the NW! More on the way tomorrow.

Watching a lot of moisture return to SWFL by tomorrow and through the rest of the work week. Tropical moisture will give us a good chance of rain in the afternoon and evening. We will see a weak front approaching from the north by the weekend. Looking at slightly drier weather Saturday and Sunday. That front is expected to move through late Monday. Tuesday we may see those dew points drop as drier and cooler weather moves in. There is a chance the front can stall. Stay tuned!

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

Wetter Pattern on the Way

Mainly dry conditions will persist for one more day before a wetter pattern settles in as early as Tuesday afternoon. While scattered storms are forecast Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, more widespread morning AND afternoon storms are expected for the latter part of the work week.

-KW

A Nice Weekend

It looks to be a nice weekend with partly cloudy sky in the afternoon, clear sky at night. - Jim

Lower humidity and drier weather will be with us for the next couple of days! Enjoy!

Dewpoints were in the 60s for much of the day. That is a big a change from the 70s we see in the summer. The higher the dewpoints the more moisture there is in the atmosphere, which gives us that sticky feeling outside. We do expect the dewpoints to be in the 60s for the next couple of days. A chance of rain back in the forecast by Sunday and into early next week. The rainy season is over so we do not expect to see a lot of rain in the next 7 days.

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

Dry Air = Fall-like humidity

Lower dewpoint temperatures are cooling us down overnight and also preventing widespread shower and storm activity in the afternoon. But without that activity, SW FL will heat up yet again to warmer than average highs. At least with lower humidities, that high around 93 degrees shouldn't feel unbearably hot. This dry pattern will stick around through Saturday before rain chances begin to pick up on Sunday.

-KW

Drier Air, Less Rain

Mostly sunny conditions will take us into the mid day hours, with a few fair weather cumulus clouds developing during the heat of the day. Our water vapor imagery is showing plenty of dry air "upstairs" in the atmosphere, and this will keep a lid on most of the shower and thunderstorm activity across SWFL. There is a small chance for an isolated storm late this afternoon and into the evening hours, but with the vast majority of us staying dry that means temperatures will climb into the mid 90s. The drier than normal pattern looks stay in place through the end of the work week with increasing rain chances by the weekend - Enjoy!
-KM

Warmer weather for the week! More sun with a lack of rain will bring r highs up into the mid 90s!

Slightly drier weather is here for the next few days. We are watching dry air in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere move overhead for the rest of the week. This means a lack of clouds and rain. Because of drier air we will see highs approach the mid 90s. Also on the flip side if we see a storm pop up it could get strong due to the high temperatures in the mid 90s.

 

Maria continues to move to the north in the Atlantic. No threat to the US.

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

Mostly dry

Other than an isolated rain area (mainly south half of SW Florida) it looks like a dry evening and a mostly dry week. - Jim

Mostly Sunny Start with a Few Scattered Storms

A mostly sunny start will transition into a partly cloudy afternoon with a few scattered showers & storms lingering into the evening hours. There will be more sunshine and a drop in the rain chances (even lower humidity!) as some drier air works its way down the Florida peninsula through the middle part of the work week. Daytime highs will be running a couple of degrees above average in the low to mid 90s with overnight lows near 73 degrees.

Tropical Storm Maria is swirling just to the north and west of Puerto Rico this morning. As of the 11am advisory, winds are sustained at 50 mph, with a westerly movement at 2mph. The current track of Maria keeps it east of the Bahamas as it makes more of a northerly turn by Tuesday & Wednesday and eventually into the Northern Atlantic, posing no threat to SWFL or the eastern seaboard of the U.S.

A Taste of Fall with Less Humidity

As high pressure builds over the Gulf, we can expect less humidity and small rain chances Tuesday through Friday. Less moisture in the atmosphere also means cooler morning lows and warmer than average afternoon highs. As for today (Monday), expect a dry start with partly cloudy skies and scattered storms building in this afternoon, continuing through the evening.

-KW

The weekend is here. More sun and less rain! Both TS are not heading here. Enjoy your warm weekend!

Good news from the tropics, both tropical storms are not going to head to the USA.

 

The weekend is looking better. More sun and less rain. Looking ahead to next week, much drier air moves in on the west side of Maria. Maria will be out over the Bahamas by Tuesday. Because the storm is to our east, we will see a northerly breezy that will bring us drier air for the middle of the week.  Enjoy the weekend.

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

The Wet Pattern Continues for ONE MORE DAY

Friday is not only the end of the work week but also appears to be the end of a pattern that has brought SW FL more clouds than sun and decent rainfall the last several days. Isolated rain is in the picture this morning, especially for our coastal communities, and more widespread activity is forecast for this afternoon. But drier air will filter in this weekend, meaning more sun and less rainfall are in the picture! (Don't rule out your typical afternoon storms, however.)

Tropical Storm Nate is forecast to become a hurricane later today in the Bay of Campeche and make landfall along the Mexican coastline late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Nate will produce 1-3' storm surge and 4-6" of rainfall with isolated amounts of 12" possible. The storm will not threaten the U.S.

Tropical Storm Maria's outer rain bands are reaching the Lesser Antilles, where we are expecting landfall late tonight/early Saturday morning. Puerto Rico is in the forecast track and can expect tropical storm force winds late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. At this time the forecast cone skirts the northeastern Bahamas. It's still too early to tell where and if Maria will affect the eastern seaboard.

Hurricane Katia is moving toward the northeast into the North Atlantic and will fizzle out in the next couple day. High surf in the Northeast is still possible from Katia today.

-KW

TS Nate in the gulf and TS Maria in the Atlantic.. Eyes on Florida? Hmmmmm!

Watching both Nate and Maria closely!

 

Rain is the in the forecast for the morning and afternoon for your Friday. More sun by the weekend. Expect back to normal pattern by the weekend. That means morning sun with afternoon rain.

 

Lets talk a bit about Nate. A very slow moving system in the southern gulf. Wind right now is getting closer to hurricane strength, 70 mph. Since it looks like Nate will spend the next five days over the water we do expect it to become a hurricane really soon. Nate will start moving to the north slowly the next few days. Some of the models place Nate in the middle of the gulf by early next week. If it stalls there, it could possably move closer to Florida. I am feeling pretty good that Nate will start a turn more to the northwest by day four and five. This is a wait and watch system.

 

Maria is a tropical storm that may weaken into a depression the next few days. Either way the five day cone puts Maria over the Bahamas by day five. I am feeling good about the long range models that keep Maria out in the Atlantic and off the east coast of Flordia for the duration of it's life. Right now Maria has wind at 40 mph and is moving quickly to the west. It may look a bit scary now, but it is running into a lot of wind sheer and Maria could even fall apart by day three. Stay tuned on this one as well.

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

Back to "Average"

It looks like an average weather pattern this week. Scattered showers and storms will interupt periods of sunshine. Nate is in the Gulf and needs to be watched closely. - Jim

More sun and less rain expected this weekend

That headline is certainly good news for those who have plans on Saturday and Sunday. Through Thursday afternoon and Friday, keep that umbrella on hand, as a southwest flow continues to drive moisture onshore, creating widespread storm activity and more clouds than sun.

Update on the tropics: Katia will never be a threat to land but remains a Cat. 1 hurricane. The storm will turn northeast and move into the North Atlantic in the next couple days. Katia's only effect on land will be high surf along the eastern seaboard. Tropical Storm Nate formed yesterday afternoon and will slowly strengthen in the Bay of Campeche and likely make landfall along the Gulf coast of Mexico Tuesday, but south Texas remains in the 5 days forecast cone. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Maria was also named yesterday and will continue to move westward and eventually turn northwestward. Maria is expected to maintain tropical storm strength and impact the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico on Saturday then move to the east and northeast of the Bahamas Monday. Beyond that 5 day threshold, Maria will bear close watching as it nears the U.S. coastline.

-KW

Rain it here for another day or two. Nate has formed in the gulf too.. Not heading here...

We the southwesterly wind has been with us for the last serval days and it will continue for the nest few more. This means we will see rain in the morning as well as in the afternoon through Friday as least. Some of the rain will be heavy at times. Look for another 1 to 3 inches by the weekend. Saturday a lot more sun is expected s all the tropical moisture moves to the north. Temperatures will rebound back into the low to mid 90s by then.

 

Tropical storm Maria is in the Atlantic with wind at 50 mph and moving to the west at 23 mph. It will start a turn to the north by day five once it moves over the Bahamas. So far it looks as if Maria is going to stau away from the USA.

 

Tropical storm Nate as just formed in the South Gulf. Wind at 45 mph and moving to the ESE at 2 mph. This system looks like it will become a hurricane in the next day or so and is expected to move into Mexico by day five. Nate is not coming here..

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

Another Wet Start...For Some

Most of the rain this morning was concentrated across DeSoto, Highlands, and Charlotte counties with brief heavy downpours. As of 11:30am, the radar is fairly quiet, however we are tracking a complex of showers and thunderstorms just offshore the SWFL coastline. These will continue to push toward our coastal locations first through the mid day hours and eventually affecting some of our inland communities this afternoon. As a result of the extra cloud cover due to that moist southwest flow, temperatures will hover in the mid to upper 80s this afternoon. An unsettled weather pattern stays in place through the end of the work week, with a bit more sunshine in store for the first half of the weekend.

A Nearby Cold Front

Remnants of Lee, still an area of low pressure that is near Tennessee, has helped drive a frontal boundry into central Florida. SW Florida is on the soggy side of the front, so we will have more rain the next 2 days. It should be sunnier and warmer by the weekend. - Jim

Wet from Lee

The remnants of Tropical Storm/ Depression Lee will keep SW Florida rather cloudy and wet the next few days. - Jim

Umbrella at the Ready!

The best time to do outdoor activities will be this morning as only isolated storms are on radar, but more widespread activity is forecast to roll in this afternoon. A wetter pattern will settle over SW FL and continue through the beginning of the weekend, so grab that umbrella and keep it on hand as both morning and evening storms will remain in the forecast!

Checking on the tropics: a wave 680 southwest of the Cape Verde Islands (coastal Africa) will likely form into a tropical depression later today or Wednesday. Also, a wave of energy in the southern Gulf west of the Yucatan warrants watching; this wave has a chance of developing into a depression in the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, Major Hurricane Katia has sustained winds of 125 mph but will not threaten land. The main effect from Katia will be rip currents and high surf along the eastern seaboard in the coming days.

-KW

Tropical Storm Lee

Tropical Storm Lee will soak Louisiana but will not have any significant impact on SW Florida. If anything we will have a breeze by Monday. In the mean time, look for a fairly typical weekend! - Jim

Tropical Depression #13

Tropical Depression #13 remains nearly stationary just south of the Louisiana coastline this morning. As of 11am, sustained winds are at 35 mph, with a minimum central pressure of 1005 mb. Tropical Storm warnings are in effect for Pascagoula, MS west toward Sabine pass, TX, which includes the city of New Orleans. As TD 13 swirls over the warm waters of the Gulf, strengthening is possible into a Tropical Storm as we head into the weekend. This system is expected to produce between 10 and 15 inches of rainfall across southern Louisiana and south Alabama, with isolated amounts up to 20 inches of rainfall, which makes flooding a huge concern in this area.

Katia has now regained Hurricane status with winds sustained at 75 mph as it moves to the W/NW at 14 mph. It looks like Katia will continue to strengthen over the weekend reaching major hurricane status by early next week.

Watching 3 Waves in the Tropics

Nearly stationary Tropical Depression 13 continues to spin in the Gulf. A better model consensus leads us to believe that this depression will likely strengthen to a tropical storm later today but not strengthen beyond that intensity. As of now, the storm is forecast to slowly move toward the northeast and make landfall along the Louisiana coastline early Monday morning. The storm will continue slowly northeast, producing 10-15" of rainfall in southern LA, MS, and AL. We in SW FL will not be directly impacted by this storm but can expect increased cloud cover and scattered storms through the beginning of next week.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Katia is moving toward the WNW at 15 mph in the Atlantic. The storm maintains winds of 70 mph, just 4 mph shy of Category 1 hurricane strength. The storm is not forecast to strengthen in the next 24-36 hours; beyond that the storm will likely re-strengthen into a hurricane and possibly even a major hurricane. Through the next 5 days, Katia will not be a threat to land.

A third tropical wave south of Nova Scotia, moving northeast in the North Atlantic, has the potential to develop into a tropical depression in the next 48 hours but regardless of development, this wave of energy will not threaten land in its lifetime.

-KW

Our next named storm is Lee.. And it looksl like it will be in the Gulf soon!

We are still watching the disturbance in the Gulf and slowly moving to the northwest. Hurricane hunters are flying in and around the system gathering data. It is looking good for developing in the next few hours. It could become a depression and or a storm, Lee would be the name. The upper air looks rough right now but in the next 6 to 12 hours the sheer weakens which allows this potential system to strengthen. Good new for us is that it is moving to the northwest. However, with the slow movement this system could become a hurricane if it stay over the Gulf for the next few days.

 

Katia is now a strong Tropical Storm with wind at 70mph. But this storm will stay out in the Atlantic.

--
Scott Zedeker
WINK TV Meteorologist

Cloud Cover Keeping Temperatures a Bit Cooler

It's another cloudy day across SWFL, as we are seeing some tropical moisture move overhead in association with a tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico. This will keep our weather pattern unsettled for the next couple of days with more clouds than sun and scattered rain/storms. On the flip side, it will keep our daytime highs well below the norm as most of us won't even crack the 90° mark once again.

In the tropics, Katia is maintaining its category 1 strength with sustained winds at 75 mph, but over the next 48 hours intensification is likely, with Katia reaching category 3 status as early as the weekend. The area of disturbed weather in the Gulf of Mexico has the potential to evolve into our next Tropical Depression or even Tropical Storm over the next day or two. Most models do have this system moving in a northwest direction and meandering across the Texas to Louisiana coast through the weekend.

Sept. 1st Tropical Update

Hurricane Katia continues to churn in the Atlantic with sustained winds of 75 mph. The storm is expected to maintain hurricane strength and further strengthen in the coming days. Katia, however, will not be a threat to land in the next 5-7 days. Beyond that time, of course Katia bears watching.

Of other importance is an area of disturbed weather in the Gulf. An area of disorganized shower activity over the eastern Gulf is expected to get more organized in the next 48 hours and become a tropical depression or tropical storm. While a good consensus in the forecast models has yet to be reached, it appears this wave will bring much needed rainfall to the coastlines of the Deep South, including Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, areas that are all suffering from moderate to exceptional drought. Based off even the most pessimistic intensity models, I believe this storm could strengthen into a tropical storm but not into a hurricane. Of course things can change and we will keep a close eye on this wave, as we in SW FL will see a bit of backwash from this storm with clouds and scattered showers over the weekend.

-KW