Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Well maybe not "hot" per se but certainly warm! Temperatures 5-10° above average will continue in SW FL into the first week of April. March 2012 will likely be Fort Myers' 3rd warmest March since records began and for Punta Gorda, the 4th warmest!
--KW

Great beach weather this weekend!

The gulf breeze will keep the sky mostly sunny near the coast, partly cloudy inland with temperatures through the weekend in the upper 80s.  - Eric

Partly cloudy & warm through the weekend!

Great beach weather this weekend as the gulf breeze keeps coastal locations mostly sunny!  Highs across southwest Florida will be in the upper 80s with a partly cloudy sky.

Beach weather continues!

Mostly sunny heading into the weekend with temps climbing into the upper 80s.     - Eric

A gorgeous Monday!

How about a mostly sunny sky with warm temperatures in the mid 80s and low humidities to start off your week right!

Cooler temps tonight!!

After a cold front brought a few showers to southwest Florida, the sky has cleared and temperatures tonight will fall into the mid 60s!

Rain on Sunday!

It looks like a cold front is going to bring showers into the area Sunday.  Then warm and less humid Monday with plenty of sunshine!.

Eric

Trying for the record today at 88!! So far 86!! Let's go!!

Record high in fort Myers is 88 today.. Climbing to 86 so far.. A few showers are expected later thus evening so it's a battle between the sun and clouds... We will find out in in a few hours...

Sent from Zed's iPhone

Cold front

Cold front still due on Sunday. A few clouds and a shower.

Sent from my iPhone

Warm Weekend

Believe it not, a weak cold front will arrive Sunday, with a few clouds and showers. It will NOT get cool, but relative humidity will drop Monday and Tuesday. - Jim

Warm

Winter ends and Spring begins this week, but the temperatures will not vary. Lows in the 60s and highs in the 80s are here to stay. - Jim

Thursday's Tornadoes in Michigan

While things have been warm and fairly quiet in southwest Florida, that hasn't been the case elsewhere. On Thursday 3 tornadoes tore through parts of Michigan. The National Weather Service says the most destructive was an EF-3 that hit Dexter, damaging 100 homes and destroying 13. The tornado had an estimated maximum wind of 140 miles per hour and damage path of just over 7 miles. There was also an EF-0 in the town of Ida and an EF-2 in Columbiaville. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.

For pics and the official assessment:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=dtx&storyid=80731&source=0

Warmer Than Average Continues

April-like warmth will continue through at least the next 7 days. A ridge of high pressure in the Southeast will remain in place, deflecting any weather maker attempting to cross its path. That means highs in the mid 80s will become our "norm" and a mainly dry radar will persist.

Hello Spring!

Spring may not officially begin for another week or so, but it's certainly feeling like it stepping outdoors! This weekend, expect highs in the low 80s along the coast and mid 80s elsewhere, a partly cloudy sky and isolated afternoon showers.

Breezy

Breezy conditions are in place for the next 2 days. Coupled with low humidity, the brush fire danger remains elevated this week. - Jim

March 2, 2012 Severe Weather Recap

14 of the 48 states in the continental U.S. experienced some sort of severe weather Friday, March 2nd; that's roughly 30% of the country! Tornadoes occurred in at least 9 states, and there were a total of 80 preliminary tornado reports. The storms not only produced long-lived tornadoes but large hail as well. Tennis and softball size hail was reported in TN and KY. Remember, reports on this map are considered preliminary. Local National Weather Service agencies will be out today surveying damage. Stay tuned to WINK for the latest.

Winter Weather Summary

While the official start of spring is still a couple weeks away, mother nature kicked Old Man Winter out of Southwest Florida a while ago...or perhaps she never let him in.

December 2011 through February 2012 averaged 2 degrees warmer than normal. This winter stands in contrast to the previous two, which were colder than average. Why the warmth you may ask? Two natural cycles: La Nina and a positive phase of the North American Oscillation. In short, this pattern means the jet stream is located far to the north over the Great Lakes and Northeast, allowing high pressure to situate itself over the Southeast, causing warm east and southeast wind to blow across SW FL.

After a very dry December and January, February brought us much-needed rainfall but did little to help the deficit; overall winter rainfall averaged 2 to 4 inches below normal.

So what can we expect for March, April & May? According to the Climate Prediction Center, more of the same--above average temperatures and below average rainfall.

-Katie