Heat, humidity and ongoing flooding to add to misery as Floridians recover from Irma's wrath

For those cleaning up and making repairs in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, steamy air and continued flooding will be natural hurdles in the days ahead following Hurricane Irma.

Weakened structures, fallen trees and downed power lines will pose hazards for those heading back.

Some locations in central and northeastern Florida that were hit with heavy damage from wind will continue to face moderate to major river flooding over the next several days.

Six to 12 inches of rain inundated the central and northern counties of the peninsula during Irma.

Major flooding is occurring or is forecast along portions of the St. Johns, Santa Fe, Ocklawaha, Withlacooche and Peace rivers. Many of these rivers and others will remain above flood stage well into next week.

September is still a steamy month in much of Deep South, and the next couple of weeks will be no exception.

"High temperatures will be within a few degrees of 90 F," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda.

"AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are projected to be between 100 and 110 during the midday and afternoon hours into this weekend," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

"Next week, humidity levels may drop slightly and curtail thunderstorm development, but intense sunshine, light winds and typical September heat will continue," Anderson said.

Millions of homes and businesses are still without power. Because of the massive scale of power outages, it will be many days and perhaps weeks until power is restored everywhere.

"A lack of electricity and air conditioning amid the Florida heat, blazing sunshine and high humidity pose great challenges to home and business owners struggling with storm cleanup," Sojda said.

"People partaking in manual labor should be careful to avoid dehydration and heat-related illnesses," Sojda said.

People are encouraged to take frequent breaks with cleanup operations.

Conditions will be dangerous for those with heart and respiratory problems, where air conditioning is not available.

Displaced creatures such as alligators and snakes are a concern as flooding persists. Mosquitoes will proliferate in stagnant pools of water.

The hot and humid conditions will be the perfect breeding ground for mold.

Piles of debris and rotten food from freezers will litter the sides of streets and pose additional health hazards.

In terms of additional tropical activity in the Atlantic, no additional threats with high winds and widespread heavy rain are forecast for Florida into early next week, according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

Jose will cause rough surf to spread northward along the Atlantic coast.

There may be additional tropical threats during the last part of September, October and into November.

Budding Hurricane Maria is one storm that all residents of the Gulf and East coasts need to monitor for any potential future impacts later in September.

However, it is impossible to say with certainty where other storms will track prior to their formation.

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