Brian: Hail being reported in some of the storms now in Lee County...

Just a quick update before I head into the studio for tonight's newscasts -- there is actually some hail in these storms right now (very small pea sized hail). It's making a bit of a racket outside my window right now, and possibly yours as well. These storms continue to push toward the beaches and we should see a drying trend along the coast as we move toward sunset. More updates coming here and on WINK later tonight. See you then!

Brian

Brian: Line of storms near I-75 from Collier north to Lee... moving toward beaches...

A line of storms has developed along the afternoon Gulf breeze front and is headed toward the northeast right now. Most of these storms are lined up along I-75 from Collier County north into Charlotte County. Expect them to move slowly over the next hour or two with the potential for some very heavy rain and frequent lightning. Doppler radar is estimating anywhere from 1-3" of rain has fallen in some of the heavier storms. 

Elsewhere, there are a few isolated storms farther east across inland southwest Florida. These, too, should move to the northeast over the next couple of hours. The most concentrated activity will be along the coast, though, between now and around 6 pm.

Brian

Scattered Rain

It's still a little too dry aloft for an active thunderstorm pattern, but there will be a couple roaming the area today.  Tomorrow will feature a dry morning, then a hot afternoon with a few showers and storms. - Jim

Feelin' Hot!

Another HOT day in store with highs in the low 90s along the coast to mid 90s inland! Factor in that humidity and our heat index, or feels like temperature, will push into the low to mid 100's and possibly to near 110 degrees across inland Collier County!

Expect a partly cloudy sky with just a few storms possible near to the coast for the second half of the afternoon as high pressure in control will once again suppress thunderstorm activity. The heat sticks with us into the weekend, but with storm chances increasing, we'll have some rain finally to help cool us off!

For more details on your weekend forecast, tune into WINK News Now at 5pm with Chief Meteorologist Jim Farrell.

Stay cool,
Lauren

Still Hot and Dry

I expect a hot afternoon and a warm, mainly dry evening.  The air is just too dry to allow numerous thunderstorms, so we remain fairly dry through tomorrow. - Jim

June Tropical Trends

Climatologically, June is the quietest month of the Atlantic hurricane season with 1 tropical system forming every 2 years on average. But there are always exceptions to the rule...since 1851, 81 tropical storms and hurricanes have formed in the month of June.

Since 1870, three major hurricanes have formed during the month. One of these hurricanes made landfall in the US, Hurricane Audrey in 1957, a Category 4 storm which caused major destruction across parts of Eastern Texas and Western Louisiana.

June tropical systems tend to form in our neighbor, the Gulf of Mexico and in the Western Caribbean where seas surface temperatures are warmest this time of year, and typically form when a cold front moves off the US coast and stalls out, serving as the focal point for tropical system development.

On this day in June the Tropics are quiet.

Have a great day,
Lauren

Brian: Eastward Movement of Oil Slick Has Slowed/Stopped

Good morning! Just reading the latest update from NOAA on the oil slick, they are finally indicating what we have all week long: that the southwesterly breezes that pushed the oil toward the western Panhandle over the last few days have been replaced by easterlies/southeasterlies. This, coupled with westward moving water currents, has effectively stopped the eastward spread of the oil slick -- saving, for the moment, beaches in the central and eastern Panhandle. You can read the full NOAA update here.

 

Easterly and southeasterly wind is expected to continue over the rest of the week, pushing the oil slick away from Florida and toward Lousiana and Mississippi. As a front moves into the southeast early next week, though, the wind could again turn in from the west or west-southwest, threatening Florida beaches once again. We'll keep you updated.

 

Brian