Orlando's weather today comes with a side of geographical favoritism. The National Weather Service in Melbourne, FL, has indicated that the brunt of the early morning showers and the occasional thunder is likely to give the southern counties a good soaking. For those living south of Orlando, particularly toward the Treasure Coast, Okeechobee County, and the southern Space Coast, it's probably wise to grab that umbrella before you head out. According to the weather forecast, there will be SCT showers/ISOLD storms into the morning hours.
Navigating just north of this rainy belt, the chances of getting drenched significantly drop, almost as if the clouds have some vendetta against the south. The I-4 corridor, which includes Orlando, is poised to experience a brief respite from the humidity, thanks to a quasi-stationary weak front doing us some favors. But be warned, the sticky Florida heat is quickly queuing up to steal back the scene into next week.
On the water, mariners can expect relatively smooth sailing for the early part of the week. The seas will behave themselves with 1-2 ft waves very near shore and a slight uptick to 2-3 ft offshore. Initial seas 1-2 ft very near shore and 2-3 ft offshore will subside to 1-2 ft areawide by this afternoon, the Weather Service's Marine forecast details, promising a gentle buildup back to 2-3 ft from Tuesday afternoon. Make sure to keep an eye out for any afternoon sea breezes that swoop in along the Volusia waters mid-week, potentially stirring up 4 ft waves.
The fire weather outlook adds an extra layer of cautionary advice to those in and around Orlando. With humidity levels dropping to around 35-40 percent along and northwest of the I-4 corridor, the fire risk climbs a notch or two. The Weather Service's crystal ball foresees scattered (occasionally numerous) coverage of showers and lightning storms remaining in the forecast into early to mid-next week, which, while dampening the fire risk, presents its own set of challenges for any outdoor plans. They even suggest a few storms could be strong to marginally severe Mon afternoon/evening, so maybe hold off on making any solid barbecue plans just yet.
For aviators, the watchwords are 'VCSH for VRB/FPR through the early/mid morning hours today as a disturbance passes by.' But once again, those north of the ruckus can expect to enjoy predominant VFR conditions. Aside from a slight chance of prevailing MVFR conditions at the Treasure Coast terminals later on, the skies should be clear enough for smooth flying.
