Increasing Rain and Thunderstorm Chances over Northwest Florida Today... Calm and Pleasant over Most of Central and South Florida Today... Areas of Fog will Likely Develop by Dawn Tomorrow... High Rip Current Risk along some Atlantic Coast Beaches Today...

For North Florida, today will start with areas of dense fog but this will slowly dissipate after sunrise. The weather will then change from cloudy but calm conditions this morning to increasing rain and thunderstorm chances this afternoon. Plenty of moisture and warm air over the area will combine with a disturbance passing through to allow numerous showers to begin to develop near the Panhandle and Big Bend coastlines by mid day. These showers will gradually increase north and east throughout the afternoon and rainfall amounts are expected to be around half of an inch or less throughout this portion of the state. Some of the storms may become strong with frequent lightning and strong wind gusts, but widespread severe weather is not anticipated. The shower and storm activity will gradually decrease as we move into the evening hours, but rain chances will remain around 40% over the area tonight to account for a few lingering showers into early tomorrow morning.

Most of the Peninsula will stay dry today and under the influence of high pressure. However, areas north of the I-4 Corridor can expect an increase in cloud cover and possibly a few light showers passing through the area in response to the disturbance in North Florida this afternoon. Thunderstorms are not expected, but rainfall amounts may reach up to a tenth of an inch of localized areas.

By tonight, with plenty of moisture over the state, areas of patchy to locally dense fog will likely develop statewide. This fog may become dense at times with visibilities decreasing to less than a mile on some roadways. When fog is in the forecast, we encourage all motorists to use caution and to slow down when approaching an area of low visibilities.

Despite the forecast for showers this afternoon, most of the state is still under significant drought conditions. Dry soil and vegetation increase the wildfire threat, so it is advised that anyone handling flammable materials or equipment that could spark use extreme caution while outdoors. These conditions can fuel a wildfire and cause it to spread rapidly, turning a tiny spark into a devastating wildfire.

At the coast, wind and ocean conditions will combine with tidal effects to bring a high risk of frequent rip currents to some Atlantic Coast beaches. The greatest rip current risk will be from Volusia County southward through Palm Beach County. These same weather conditions will bring a moderate risk of rip currents to Northeast Florida beaches from Nassau County through Flagler County and also to the Gold Coast beaches in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. Anyone who plans to enter the chilly surf should check their local rip current forecast and learn how to escape a rip current before going to their beach destination. Everyone should always remember that the safest beaches are the ones protected by lifeguards. You can find your local rip current forecast by clicking here.