Tropical Storm Helene has formed in the northwestern Caribbean Sea and is expected to make landfall in Florida as a hurricane toward the end of the week. Locally, a cold front will push through the Capital Area, shielding the central Gulf Coast from any major impacts and ushering in much drier and more comfortable air.

Tonight & Tomorrow: Some clouds will stay in the mix tonight with very muggy conditions persisting. Low temperatures will bottom in the mid 70s. A cold front will slowly chug into the area on Wednesday. High temperatures will jump into the low 90s before its arrival. While some sun is expected, more and more cumulus clouds will bubble up with daytime warming. Eventually, the front will help to squeeze out scattered showers and thunderstorms, some of which could bring brief downpours and gusty wind. Precipitation coverage will wane into the overnight hours.    

Up Next: The cold front will push offshore by Thursday afternoon. In the wake of that feature, clouds will thin out from north to south and humidity will start to decrease. Temperatures will still be warm, topping out in the upper 80s, but it will be noticeably more comfortable. You may also notice an increased breeze of 10-20mph behind the front and in part because of Hurricane Helene to the southeast. Friday and Saturday will be mostly sunny and seasonable with highs in the mid to upper 80s and low humidity. A string of pleasant mornings is also expected with lows in the mid 60s.    

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The Tropics: Tropical Storm Helene has been getting better organized in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. The system has seen an increase in maximum winds to over 50mph with a northwest motion of 10-15mph. Helene is expected to emerge in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and intensify, perhaps rapidly, while moving northward. The storm is then forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend Region of Florida later Thursday. Hurricane Warnings and a State of Emergency have already been declared in the state for significant impacts from storm surge, wind and rain.

Satellite surface wind data from earlier today showed a broad open trough associated with a tropical wave located near the Cabo Verde Islands. Environmental conditions appear favorable for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form in a few days while it moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.

– Josh 

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