As Jacksonville braces for a sweltering day, with temperatures expected to soar near the mid-90s and heat index values topping out around 102 degrees, area residents should prepare for more than just the oppressive heat. According to the latest update from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, FL, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 pm today, with the possibility of less than a tenth of an inch of rain, though higher amounts could occur in localized thunderstorms.
The anticipated downpour could offer a brief respite, yet the stormy canopy that looms also promises a tempestuous ballet, with gusts as high as 17 mph, that's not the only threat beachgoers must heed, the NWS has issued a High Surf Advisory now in effect until 8 PM EDT this evening coupled with a high rip current risk through Friday evening, inciting concerns for "dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion."
The advisory stretches over Northeast Florida beaches, with large breaking waves of 5 to 8 feet poised to present hazardous conditions for those in and near the water. The Rip Current Statement by the NWS explicitly warns that "rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water," a daunting reminder of the ocean's indifferent might. The notice recommends that inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions and advises those caught in a rip current to "relax and float," avoiding a futile struggle against the fluid force - if able, they should swim following the shoreline, if unable to escape, signal for help.
The wet weather will persist throughout the weekend with showers and thunderstorms chiefly after 2pm on Friday, carrying a 90 percent chance of precipitation; the high on Friday near 92 degrees with heat index values potentially reaching 103 this pattern of afternoon thunderstorms will continue into the week, with the NWS predicting almost certain chances of precipitation each day, though by Monday the odds taper off slightly to 50 percent after 8 am, sunshine mostly punctuating the clouds with new rainfall amounts ranging between a quarter and half an inch possible.
