Suncoast Weather: Thunderstorms & Near 100 Heat Index Today

Scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms are forecast to return to Englewood starting Saturday, with the heat index expected to reach near 100 degrees. While the Suncoast awoke to mostly sunny skies, the weather pattern is set to change.

Early morning plans, such as beach visits to Siesta Key or boat excursions from Venice, will benefit from calmer conditions. Winds will remain light at 5 to 10 knots with seas one foot or less through the morning. However, conditions may become choppy in and near any developing thunderstorms.

Atmospheric moisture will increase into early next week, likely fueling storms that develop over eastern Florida and move westward across the Suncoast by the afternoon and early evening. This pattern suggests increased rain chances through midweek.

Boaters should plan for calm mornings and monitor radar closely for developing storms later in the day.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic hurricane season has yet to form its first hurricane, an atypical delay past mid-September. The National Hurricane Center is tracking a low-pressure system southwest of the Azores with an 80% chance of developing into a tropical depression in the next two to seven days. This system is in the eastern Atlantic and poses no threat to Florida but serves as a reminder that hurricane season continues through November.