PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – After a chaotic round of severe storms Friday, calmer skies returned to South Florida on Saturday morning — but forecasters warn the reprieve may not last through the day.
“All heck breaks loose in the middle of the day,” said Local 10 meteorologist Brandon Orr. “But clear skies so far.”
Orr said the early part of Saturday was mostly dry across Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties, with sunny skies drawing crowds to beaches like Hollywood. But he cautioned that scattered storms were likely to return by mid-afternoon, particularly in inland areas.
“Mostly dry between now and 1 o’clock,” Orr said. “1 to 3 p.m., our first storms develop mainly out to the west … and then 3 to 8 o’clock, the highest chance of thunderstorms.”
While the region isn’t expected to see as many storms as it did Friday, the potential remains for damaging wind gusts, isolated flooding, hail and frequent lightning.
“Some of us may stay dry, but just know if you’re going out and about, the potential is there to see some random pop-up showers and thunderstorms,” Orr said.
Orr noted that the Storm Prediction Center placed much of Central and South Florida under a marginal risk for severe weather — the lowest level on the scale.
“That means we’re not going to see anything widespread,” he said. “But one or two storms could become severe, especially with some strong gusty winds.”
According to Orr, the key atmospheric ingredients for severe weather are present again Friday: high humidity pushing in from the Bahamas, some wind shear aloft, and plenty of heat and instability.
“We’re checking off the list,” he said. “The humidity, the instability — that’s the fuel, all the heat and humidity — and we have that around today.”
Though not as strong as Friday’s setup, the atmosphere still has the potential to support a few strong thunderstorms capable of producing hail, lightning, flooding, and damaging wind.
Orr emphasized that rainfall will be hit or miss.
High temperatures Saturday are expected to reach around 90 degrees, with humid conditions making it feel even hotter. Beachgoers will see green flags and surf under one foot, but a moderate risk of rip currents remains.
As Memorial Day weekend gets underway, spotty afternoon storms are expected each day, including Sunday and Monday. Those headed to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, where the Florida Panthers host the Carolina Hurricanes, should be prepared for passing showers on the way into Amerant Bank Arena.
“No day is a washout,” Orr said. “But each day we’ll have some random pop-up showers and storms, and high temperatures will stay pretty consistent in the upper 80s to near 90.”
For the hour-by-hour forecast and a live radar, visit this page.
