MORE SUNSHINE TODAY; TRACKING TROPICAL STORM FIONA IN ATLANTIC… After a refreshing start to the day with temperatures in the 60s, we’re headed to the upper-80s for afternoon highs across the region. Mostly sunny skies are expected throughout the day. Friday is also expected to be mostly dry ahead of the potential for a few showers and thunderstorms around this weekend. We are now tracking Tropical Storm Fiona in the Atlantic Ocean. Fiona continues to move west toward the northernmost Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. We have more questions than answers at this point as to where Fiona will ultimately end up. A few more Thursday morning forecast notes are below.
FEW STORMS POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND… Vast majority of our region will be dry over the next 5-7 days, but I cannot completely rule out a few P.M. storms on Saturday or Sunday. Again, most spots will remain dry, but the chance is there (10-20%) of a few storms popping up. High temperatures this weekend will be around 90 degrees with morning lows around 70. The good news is the high school football games across the local area on Friday evening are slated to be dry.
TROPICAL STORM FIONA HEADED WEST TOWARD PUERTO RICO; LONG RANGE UNCERTAINTY… Tropical Depression 7 formed yesterday and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Fiona last evening. Fiona is packing maximum winds of 50 mph this morning. The center of the storm is located about 625 miles east of the Leeward Islands. The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for a continued westward movement toward the northernmost Lesser Antilles, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Land interaction with the high terrain of Hispaniola seems rather likely this weekend or early next week. This potential for land interaction creates a huge amount of uncertainty. There is a real chance Fiona may not survive the passage over Hispaniola. On the flip side, a track farther south could cause a track closer to Cuba and potentially the Gulf of Mexico next week OR if the center of circulation travels a bit farther north compared to the current forecast track, there is a chance Fiona may turn north into the Atlantic Ocean. Plenty of variables at this point with very little clarity. I will have more updates posted about this developing system in the days ahead.
REMAINDER OF TROPICS ARE QUIET… Outside of TD7/Fiona, we note the remainder of the tropical Atlantic Basin remains quiet. No tropical issues are expected in the Gulf of Mexico at any point over the next 5 days. We will need to monitor Tropical Storm Fiona in the days ahead, but there is no concrete evidence Fiona will end up in the Gulf at this point. That could change, but nothing to worry about for now. I’ll keep you posted in the days ahead.
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See all the details in your Thursday morning #rzw forecast video. Have a great day!