AccuWeather.com

Local Weather Forecast

Low Moving into Warm Gulf

A tropical low pressure area today will cross the Florida peninsula and emerge into the Gulf of Mexico. The low could develops tropical characteristics as it moves west over the warm waters of the Gulf. Meanwhile, a cold front crossing the northern Plains today will create the potential for strong thunderstorms.

According to the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center, the low is centered just east of the Florida peninsula.

Interaction with an upper-level low pressure area has prevented the storm from intensifying over the past couple of days. The upper low is expected to shift to the southwest on Wednesday, potentially increasing conditions for development.

The combination of an area of high pressure off the Northeast coast and the low pressure in the tropics has created a broad, strong northeasterly wind blowing over a long fetch of the Atlantic. The strong onshore winds have produced large waves and rough surf from Florida to the Carolinas.

Severe beach erosion was reported on Tybee Island and Sapelo Island in Georgia. Several lifeguard towers were destroyed on Tybee Island and turtle nesting grounds on Sapelo Island were wiped out. Coastal flooding was reported in Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

Winds today will diminish and waves will not be as rough; however, there could be minor beach erosion and coastal flooding and a gusty breeze will be felt at the coast. Rip currents remain a danger and showers and thunderstorms from the tropical wave will be rotating onshore.

The Severe Weather Center has an up-to-date list of storm and flood-related watches and warnings in effect along the Southeast coast.

A cold front today will slice into the warm air in place over the Great Plains, creating the potential for strong thunderstorms from Oklahoma to Iowa. The strongest storms will generate damaging winds, large hail and even an isolated tornado. In the wake of the front, a gusty breeze will usher cooler air into the High Plains, while a warm air mass will surge up the Mississippi Valley.

The East Regional News story reports unseasonably warm and dry conditions will continue across the region over the next few days. A strong high pressure ridge is weakening any fronts approaching the region, forcing the fronts to the north.

Highs this weekend will soar into the 80s across much of the Northeast.

City	Normal	Tues.	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	City	Normal	Tues.	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.
Chicago	68	80	76	80	84	Cincinnati	72	84	80	87	87
Atlanta	77	85	82	80	84	Nashville	76	88	84	88	88
Washington D.C.	73	76	80	83	84	Philadelphia	71	74	78	84	86
New York City	68	70	73	82	82	Boston	66	68	71	80	78