Hot, humid air is flowing northward into the Midwest for the first time this year. That southerly flow, ahead of a slow-moving cold front, will produce highs near 100 degrees F over the next few days, as far north as the Great Lakes region. Indeed, the sultry air is already fueling thunderstorms in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, a stationary front across South Florida is "training" torrential rain over the peninsula, with precipitation nearing a foot along Alligator Alley; obviously, flooding is extensive, from Sarasota and Fort Meyers to Miami.
Low pressure along that southern front is expected to drift eastward over the warm waters of the Atlantic, where it may develop into a tropical storm. In its wake, another area of low pressure is forecast to form in the Western Gulf of Mexico, perhaps strengthening into a hurricane by early next week. Our warming climate is already taking a significant toll.
