JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’ll feel more like early summer inland, with temps climbing to near 90 degrees (close to record levels: Gainesville 91/1974) thanks to a warm southerly flow and strong mixing. Coastal areas stay 8–10 degrees cooler once the sea breeze arrives.
A breezy Atlantic sea breeze will push inland this afternoon, bringing gusts up to 20 mph. Rain chances stay low (under 15%), but we could see a few brief showers pop up late day along the sea breeze; thunderstorms look unlikely.
Tonight, an approaching cold front will start to change the pattern. Winds should stay light southerly, which limits widespread fog, but patchy, shallow fog is still possible where winds go calm.
Sunday stays warm and breezy ahead of that front, with highs in the mid to upper 80s and a few spots near 90 degrees (Jax record 91/2017). The Gulf sea breeze moves inland and could merge with the Atlantic sea breeze near I-95 late afternoon/evening—bringing the best chance for a few showers/storms near I-95 and inland SE Georgia.
Fire danger and drought conditions remain high
Firefighters continue to gain control over a brush fire in Baker, Columbia, Ware and Clinch counties. Read more here
From the National Weather Service in Jacksonville: High pressure moves farther into the Atlantic today, keeping a south-southeast breeze and bringing slightly drier air inland—afternoon humidity drops into the mid to upper 30s and rain chances stay low, with only a stray shower possible in far interior southeast Georgia late today. On Sunday, winds turn southwest and ramp up ahead of a cold front; sea breezes push inland and collide late afternoon, helping spark showers and storms. More widespread, beneficial rain arrives with the front Sunday night into Monday. With exceptional to extreme drought and breezy winds, fire danger is elevated and could lead to erratic fire behavior.
Much-needed rainfall on the way
Beginning Sunday afternoon, wet and windy weather returns with some much-needed rainfall in the forecast, taking us through mid-next week.