Gulf of Mexico Might Become Active Next Week

High pressure is firmly in charge across the northern two-thirds of the state, and will remain so through the weekend. Outdoor plans will be a go north of Alligator Alley through early next week. Further south, afternoon thunderstorms are possible near the Miami and Fort Myers metro areas. Temperatures will cooperate as well, with highs Saturday in the low-to-mid 80s and Sunday in the upper 70s and low 80s. While much of the Midwest sees their first frost of the year, lows in Florida will only fall to the upper 50s and low 60s.

No tropical development is expected in the next five days, but we are keeping an eye on a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that may form next week. A disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms in the Caribbean is set to move northwest and across the Yucatan Peninsula by midweek. By that time, upper-level conditions are forecast to become marginally favorable for development. Even through there is only six weeks left in the hurricane season, tropical storm formation in the Gulf this time of year is not that uncommon. While confidence is still low on what will happen by late next week, the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network will be watching trends closely.