The National Weather Service is calling for isolated severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon across South Florida, including coastal areas, and has issued a severe thunderstorm watch from Orlando south to Key Largo.
Forecasters warned that wind gusts up to 70 mph and scattered hail over 1 inch in diameter are possible. Tornado activity could not be ruled out.
Thunderstorms could pop up and last until about 10 p.m., they said, and warned of damaging wind. Large hail is also possible because of a layer of cold air aloft, said Chuck Caracozza, meteorologist for the National Weather Service Miami office. A hail storm was reported in Wellington about 2:30 Monday afternoon.
Flooding is also possible.
Monday will be the second day in a row of intense downpours, and Tuesday could see much of the same, with a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Midweek should be dry. And then Friday and Saturday will have a 30% chance of thunderstorms. Sunday bumps up to 50%.
The rainy season officially starts May 15. Caracozza said that though there are no guarantees, it looks like rainy season patterns are starting to align. “We’re starting to see more of these rain chances this weekend and into early next week. We are starting to see that transition.”
The forces at play include more sea breezes and enough moisture in place to support daily showers, said Caracozza.
The drought affecting South Florida has been ongoing for months. Drought.gov currently lists most of Broward and Palm Beach counties as experiencing “extreme drought,” meaning fire danger is extreme; saltwater species replace freshwater species; groundwater declines; salt water intrudes; and toxic algae blooms and fish kills can occur.