Orlando Weather Alert: 3-day heat wave to push heat index past 110 degrees
Orlando weather: Sahara dust moving toward Central Florida, high heat ahead
A large "heat dome" in the upper atmosphere will slide over Florida, acting to compress the atmosphere and heat things up a lot further than they are now. This will also help to dramatically lower afternoon/evening rain and storm chances for a few days. That does not mean we won't get any rain, but chances will be lower.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Central Florida is preparing for intense heat – with a heat index topping 110 degrees in some areas – over the next three days.
On Wednesday evening, the chances of storms will decrease as dry air aloft moves in. Showers and storms will be more limited as the region starts to heat up.
FOX 35 Storm Team Alert: Thursday to Saturday
A large "heat dome" in the upper atmosphere will slide over Florida, acting to compress the atmosphere and heat things up a lot further than they are now. This will also help to dramatically lower afternoon/evening rain and storm chances for a few days.
However, due to this, temperatures will jump significantly starting Thursday to Saturday. Afternoon highs each day will be in the upper 90s inland and in the mid-90s on the beaches.
Record-breaking heat?
FOX 35 will be keeping an eye on potential record-breaking heat this week.
Many cities will either tie or break records inland with high temps between 96 and 99 degrees. The heat index will range between 105 and 112 degrees, depending on location during the afternoons.
This is excessive heat that can have a big impact on you if outdoors for a significant or prolonged period of time.
Records in Orlando:
Thursday, July 9: 98° (1931, 1932)
Friday, July 10: 99° (1980)
Saturday, July 11: 98° (1892, 1989)
Saharan dust to pass over Central Florida Wednesday into Thursday
The sky will look muted and filtered at times as a plume of Saharan Dust passes over the state. Saharan Dust blows off the coast of Africa every summer, and travels between 5,000 and 15,000 feet up in the atmosphere across the Atlantic Ocean. Some years the plume of dust makes it all the way to the southeast United States, other years it does not.
Read more: Massive Saharan dust cloud headed towards Florida this week
Saharan Dust acts to reduce tropical activity, heat the atmosphere up more, and provide abnormally vibrant sunrises and sunsets. That's because the dust suspended high up in the atmosphere can help to spread the light out, making it more vibrant.
Occasionally, dust can reduce air quality for those in sensitive groups, but only sometimes.
New data points to the dust being extremely prevalent over our skies from Saturday into Sunday, especially this weekend. The sky could look like a red/amber/orange glow, especially early and late in the day.
Quietest start to Atlantic Hurricane season in 12+ years
With just Arthur in the Gulf so far, this is the calmest start to the Atlantic hurricane season since 2014.
No Atlantic hurricane season since 1950 has gone hurricane-less, even in the most quiet years similar to this year.
El Niño should keep the total number of tropical systems this year in the Atlantic very low, but that does not mean Florida won't have any. We could end up with two storms this year.
- The average historical second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is July 17.
- The average first hurricane of the year is generally August 11.
- The average first major (Cat. 3+) hurricane is September 1.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered by FOX 35's Noah Bergren.