The heat is on for the Suncoast

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Saharan dust layer has shut down our normal production of afternoon and evening summer thunderstorms over the past couple of days and will do so again on Friday. This factor along with high pressure will only allow one or two late day storms to develop on Friday. The rain chance is a paltry 20%.

Temperatures will be hot with highs reaching into the mid 90s and a heat index near 105 for most on Friday. If you are lucky enough to be at the beach highs there will be mimicking the water temperature which is right around 90 degrees. It is important to remember to stay hydrated and not over exert yourself during these hot days. Take frequent breaks and stay in the shade as much as possible. Obviously the best place to be is in an air conditioned building.

We will see a return to a few more storms on Saturday but still below the average for this time of year. The rain chance for Saturday afternoon goes up to 40% as the Saharan dust clears out for a bit. Highs will still be a few degrees above the average of 91°.

Some slightly drier air will slip in again on Sunday dropping the rain chance to 30% for isolated storms mainly in the afternoon.

By mid week next week we will again see a return to more widespread late day storms with highs in the low 90s.

The tropics are quiet for now but remember over 80% of the named storms occur from mid August through mid October so don’t let your guard down during this break in tropical activity. We are still expecting to see an above average season before it is all over at the end of November.

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