The heat in on for the Suncoast

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Warm weather is in the forecast for the Suncoast this week. In fact, today may be the last day this work week that our afternoon temperatures are not in the 90s at most locations.

Only near the coast will the cooler Gulf waters bring relief from the heat during the second half of the week.

There will be a cool front approach this weekend, but it will likely stall out over us and not push far enough south to bring much more than cooling than just a few degrees due to additional cloud cover.

The warmer weather and lack of rainfall will put stress on the ground and vegetative moisture content. This may well increase the fire danger index and the various “dryness indexes.”

By Thursday, when the new drought monitor data is released, the Suncoast may find itself in approaching a higher level of drought. Wildfires remain a concern at this time of year and, if winds are stronger than anticipated, fire weather warnings may be needed in some parts of Florida.

Our next real chance for showers will come on Easter Sunday. A cold front will stall close to us and additional weekend humidity will be likely. This extra moisture in the atmosphere may align with upward motion in the air to, hopefully, produce a few scattered showers. At this point, the rain chance appears to be only 20% to 30%.

Copyright 2023 WWSB. All rights reserved.