Whipping Winds Late-Week as Melissa Meanders Over the Caribbean Sea – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

While it’s been fairly quiet as of the past day or two across South Florida with warm and humid conditions, and it is quite busy in the Caribbean Sea with Tropical Storm Melissa slowly moving while gaining strength. While Melissa is not a worry for the mainland US in terms of impacts, it is a big concern for the Caribbean Sea.

Locally in South Florida, we will continue with this quiet weather pattern for the rest of the work week.

On Thursday, expect lots of sunshine and high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Unlike today and previous days this week, humidity won’t be as high courtesy of a weakening front that crosses in.

This front will stall out across South Florida starting Friday and will linger through early next week. Given this nearby front, it will start to trap moisture from the south and will increase wind speeds.

That building breeze will first be felt during the latter half of the day Thursday before it turns downright windy on Friday into Saturday. Winds may even remain strong into the start of next week but those details are a bit more uncertain.

Then on Friday, there will be a few more clouds blowing onshore, which could contain some spotty showers. Otherwise, it will be a windy day with sustained winds up to 15-30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph.

Saturday will be quite similar as far as winds will be concerned but moisture levels will start to sneak in, so isolated to scattered, quick-moving showers coming off from the Atlantic will be possible.

Additional showers will also be possible on Sunday, too, but it should be drier overall as the wind starts to veer more out of the east.

By early next week, a storm system will approach from the Gulf Coast states, which could usher in additional showers and storms while humidity turns high once again.

Tropical update

The only system or potential system to watch currently in the Atlantic basin is Tropical Storm Melissa.

As of the 2PM Wednesday advisory, it’s a 50-mph storm moving at a very slow speed of 2 mph over the central Caribbean Sea.

Through the rest of this week and into the weekend, it’s forecast to drift in a general westerly direction while strengthening and reaching hurricane status by Saturday and then major hurricane status by Monday.

There is uncertainty in the exact track so it’s important for much of the Lesser Antilles to continue to monitor the forecast.

There are Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches in effect for parts of Haiti and all of Jamaica, respectively.

Regardless, heavy rain, flooding and mudslides are concerns for these islands into next week.

By next week, parts of Cuba, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos should monitor for potential impacts from Melissa.

In Florida, we should also keep an eye on it given its potential close proximity but it’s currently not a worry.