Weather

Storms clear Central Florida; warm, muggy evening, less rain coverage Thursday

By Kelly Healey, Brian Shields, WFTV.com and Irene Sans, WFTV.com

Lightning hits on Merritt Island house. Video courtesy: Shiloh Billy Graham.

By Kelly Healey, Brian Shields, WFTV.com and Irene Sans, WFTV.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — 6:30 p.m.: 
Storms have ended across Central Florida. The evening will remain warm, muggy and rain-free.

Lows this evening will drop to the mid-70s.

The weather pattern will change Thursday. The upper level disturbance that produced the high rain chances earlier this week (and today) will push east, allowing drier air to filter over Central Florida. We will still have some passing spotty storms, but not as pronounced as in the past few days.

Limited storm activity will bring more sunshine and higher temperatures. Highs will reach the low 90s but heat indices could reach between 100 and 105 degrees. Stay hydrated and take frequent breaks if you work outdoors.

Central Florida: It’s hot, we know. But why isn’t there an official warning?

IN THE TROPICS

The Atlantic Basin continues calm. We are not expecting tropical development in the next 2 days. There is plenty of Saharan dust inhibiting formation in the tropics.

5:30 p.m.: 
Strong storms continue to push through Osceola County. The good news is that these storms are weakening at this hour. Some areas are already saturated and additional rain could trigger more flooding. 

4 p.m. update: 

Numerous storms over Central Florida. Some are intensifying as they move east. Residents should expect to encounter some areas with flooding. Make sure to use an alternate route if you encounter a flooded street, you do not know how deep the water might be. 
Drive safely. 



3 p.m. update:
Storms race to the east at about 25 mph. The second round of storms is expected to arrive to the I-4 corridor by 4 p.m. There are clusters within the line of storms that are producing over 75 lightning strikes within a 15-minute period. Expect strong winds to sweep over Downtown Orlando by 4 p.m.

Although there are still some showers near the coast, there will be a brief break from storms until 4:30 p..m. or 5 p.m.

Early afternoon update: 
Make sure to stay weather aware and have an umbrella handy Wednesday as rounds of rain and storms are expected to hit Central Florida.
About 60 percent of Central Florida will receive measurable rain Wednesday afternoon. Storms will come in rounds, and some could be strong by the afternoon. About 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected to fall in many spots. Central Brevard County has already been placed under a flood advisory as they have received up to 3 inches in some spots. 
Watch Live: Doppler 9 HD | Live updates on Eyewitness News
The sunshine has heat the atmosphere fast and will continue to bring more instability for the storms to become stronger or even severe by 4 p.m. The first round of storms will come from the west and will move relatively fast to the east coast at about 15 mph, many becoming stronger as they move toward the coast. 
“Today will be the wettest day this week. Rounds of rain and storms will move in from west to east. Some storms could be strong to severe this afternoon,” Severe Weather Center 9 meteorologist Brian Shields said.
THREATS
Frequent lightning. Make sure to download our free WFTV Weather app and get notify when lightning strikes near your locations. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors. 
Gusty winds exceeding 50 mph are likely. 

Tuesday's storms had some cells with rotation, make sure you stay weather aware and have at least 3 ways of receiving weather alerts. There is the chance that today's storms could have some rotation to them too.

Watch Live: Doppler 9 HD | Live updates on Eyewitness News
The high temperature will be 89 degrees with a low temperature of 75 degrees and partly cloudy skies by the evening.
Storms and showers likely to continue into the early evening.
The end of the week brings drier and warmer days.
“By Friday, the rain chance drops off, but it will be hotter this weekend,” Shields said.
If you are headed to the beach, the rip currents are moderate.
Watch your 5-Day Forecast below:

Rain chances scale down Spotty storms Thursday

Follow our Severe Weather team on Twitter for live updates:

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