Toasty Final Days of Summer

AM Headlines:
  • Mild and clear start
  • A streak of 90+ degree days begins today
  • Isolated to widely scattered showers Thursday
  • Refreshing cool-down Friday
  • Fiona is now a major hurricane as it nears Turks and Caicos
Discussion:
High pressure will continue to keep skies clear and temps warm through midweek. Highs will be near 90 this afternoon with just a pinch of humidity returning to the forecast. Temps will climb into the low to mid-90s by Thursday ahead of a cold front. This front will bring the best chance at rain we have seen in more than a week with isolated to widely scattered showers possible for the first day of Fall. Refreshing air arrives overnight into Friday morning with lows falling into the 40s and 50s. Highs will only break into the mid to upper 70s Friday and Saturday afternoons before rebounding near average late weekend. Better rain and storm chances arrive with another cold front late Sunday into Monday.
Hurricane Fiona:
Fiona is now a major Category 3 hurricane as it nears Turks and Caicos. More than 2 feet of rain has fallen on parts of Puerto Rico. The capital city of Ponce has reported more than 32″ of rain since Sunday. Up to 20″ of rain has fallen across parts of the Dominican Republic. The storm will pass near or just east of Turks and Caicos. Rainfall totals of 4-8″ will be possible with storm surge of 5-8′. From there the storm will enter the open Atlantic where it will strengthen into a category 4 hurricane nearing Bermuda by the end of the week. There is no direct threat to the US mainland.