Good Saturday bloggers,
Before we get to our weather let's talk about Elsa. As of 7 AM Saturday it was a minimal category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds.
Elsa is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm the next 24 hours. It will turn northwest and most likely make landfall in the Florida panhandle Wednesday as a tropical storm. June and July tropical systems are not as strong as later season systems as the water temperatures are still not warm enough to support major hurricanes. Elsa will likely bring some heavy rain to Georgia, the Carolinas and possibly Alabama.
The forecast today through Monday is about the same each day. Lows will be 65-70 with highs 85-90 under a partly to mostly sunny sky. The wind will be light as well.
Specifically for the 4th of July it will start in the upper 60s. There are many neighborhood parades during the morning and the weather looks great.
After a parade the weather will be great to jump in the pool with highs in the upper 80s. There will be a few clouds around.
Then, after the pool and dinner, it is fireworks time. Temperatures will be in the 70s with a light south wind. Sometimes, it is better to have a breeze, as it can get rather smoky at ground level from all of the fireworks.
Our next chance of rain arrives Tuesday night into Wednesday with a cold front. New data has trended towards the thunderstorms almost falling apart in our area as the front moves by.
While we have a cold front approaching from the northwest Tuesday night, Florida will be seeing Elsa approaching from the south. Right now it looks like Elsa will clip western Florida before making landfall in the panhandle Wednesday.
If the thunderstorms on Tuesday night-Wednesday fall apart before arriving, then the next chance of rain will be in about a week. We will be going into a pattern where there will be a chance of thunderstorms every 2-3 days. We will talk more about this tomorrow.
There is a drunk and texting driving warning in effect. This is in memory of all of those who have been injured or killed in drunk driving/texting accidents.
We started showing this about 30 years ago in memory of Nathan McDuffy who was killed in a drunk driving accident. Please don't drink/text and drive at anytime.
Have a happy, healthy and safe 4th of July weekend.
