…Hurricane Milton continues to intensify over the southwest Gulf of
Mexico and is expected to move northeastward towards the Florida Peninsula
by the middle of the week…
…Very heavy rainfall well ahead of Hurricane Milton brings the threat of
flash flooding to the central/southern Florida Peninsula and Keys…
…Record-breaking heat continues early this week for California and the
Desert Southwest, with much above average temperatures also expected for
the Intermountain West and Plains…
Hurricane Milton has continued to intensify over the southwestern Gulf of
Mexico and is forecast to make landfall Wednesday night over west-central
Florida according to the National Hurricane Center. The first threat to
address will be heavy rainfall occurring ahead of Hurricane Milton over
the Florida peninsula. Much of South Florida is under a Moderate Excessive
Rainfall threat (level 3/4) for flash flooding for the remainder of today.
The presence of high precipitable water values in conjunction with
enhanced lift along a draped stationary front is allowing the possibility
for some areas to see over 8 inches of rainfall by the end of the day.
Saturated soils and rain bands ahead of Milton will place Florida under a
Slight Risk for Excessive Rainfall (level 2/4) for flash flooding.
Wednesday, the threat for flash flooding increases again as the center of
Milton approaches the Florida Gulf Coast and much of central-north Florida
will be under a Moderate Excessive Rainfall Outlook again with flash
flooding likely. This rainfall brings the risk of considerable
flash,urban, and areal flooding, along with the potential for moderate to
major river flooding. Additionally, it is prudent to point out that storm
surge will be a big deal with this storm and needs to be prepared for
seriously. The high end storm surge totals being forecast by the National
Hurricane Center are around 8-12 ft for many areas around the vulnerable
Tampa Bay. For more information regarding Milton, please refer to the
National Hurricane Center.
Meanwhile, a record breaking late season heat wave continues into the
early week across central and southern California and the Desert Southwest
as high pressure resides over the region. Heat Advisories and Excessive
Heat Warnings are in effect across most of these regions. Highs will hover
around the century mark over the California valley for the remainder of
Monday before cooling off slightly into the 90s by the middle of the week.
The Desert Southwest will see maximum high temperatures in the 100-110 F
range through the short term period into Wednesday.
For the rest of the country, a Pacific cold front will approach the
Northwest by Wednesday and bring rain showers to the region. Ahead of this
system, some warm air will surge northward and much of the Plains should
start to see increasing temperatues as a warm from lifts north. Highs will
be above average in the middle 80s, some of which may be daily record
breaking, as far north as the Canadian border. The opposite will be true
for most of the East Coast as a cold front has passed through the region
and high temperatues will be feeling fall like in the 60s and 70s with
lows in the 30s and 40s possible. Most of the area should clear out behind
the front, but some of upstate New England and the Great Lakes region may
see showers coming off the Great Lakes as upper troughing of low pressure
remains.
Graphics available at
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_ndfd.php
Wilder
