ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida is facing another dangerously hot day, with a heat advisory in effect as temperatures climb into the mid 90s.
Scattered to numerous storms will also develop, bringing the threat of strong wind gusts, frequent lightning, and heavy rain before a more typical summer storm pattern continues into the weekend.
WEDNESDAY
A heat advisory is in effect across all of East Central Florida from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. as heat index values once again climb to dangerous levels.
High temperatures will reach the mid 90s, and the humidity will make it feel even hotter.
At the same time, a moist and unstable atmosphere will fuel showers and storms. Storms are expected to develop early along Florida’s west coast before spreading east through the afternoon.
A delayed east coast sea breeze could help trigger additional storms later in the day.
Some storms could become strong, producing wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph, frequent lightning and heavy downpours. A few locations could quickly pick up 1 to 3 inches of rain, leading to localized flooding.
OUTLOOK
The active summer pattern isn’t going anywhere. A stalled front across the Southeast and plenty of tropical moisture will help keep daily rain and storm chances around 40 to 60 percent through next week.
The usual summertime hazards will continue, including frequent lightning, gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall.
The intense heat will remain a concern through at least Thursday, with another heat advisory possible for parts of Central Florida Thursday and potentially Friday.
By the weekend, increasing clouds and daily storm coverage should help temperatures trend closer to normal.
It will still be hot and humid, with heat index values topping 100 degrees each afternoon, but the most extreme heat should gradually ease.