HAPPENING NOW
A cold front is moving through and creating storms in addition to low pressure system. Temperatures drop into the mid to low 70s by midnight. Light winds will continue from the east through midnight. In the early morning hours of Sunday winds will increase into the teens from the northeast. It will be breezy for the next 24 to 48 hours. Humidity remains high as clouds clear out near midnight. We will get a break from the rain Sunday until late morning. Rain will end tonight for most right after sunset.
Sunday rain could begin as early as 7 AM with more rain in the afternoon.
RAIN ACCUMULATION BY MIDNIGHT
Jacksonville 1 inch
Brunswick 0.50 of an inch
Lake City 0.01 of an inch
Palatka 0.03 of an inch
Gainesville 0.10 of an inch
TRACKING THE TROPICS
CURRENT WATCHES AND WARNINGS
Location: From Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach FL out 20 NM-Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to Flagler Beach FL
TROPICAL STORM WATCH IN EFFECT
Northeast winds 25 to 35 kt with gusts up to 45 kt and seas 11 to 16 ft.
Tropical Storm force winds possible from Monday morning until Tuesday afternoon.
IMPACTS...Tropical storm force winds and hazardous seas could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
Boaters should alter plans for this timeframe or cease operations until the storm has passed.
Tropical Depression Nine is located near latitude 22.0 North, longitude 76.5 West.
It is moving toward the northwest near 6 mph (9 km/h).
A north-northwestward motion is expected to begin tonight and continue through Monday. It is moving through Cuba and current models show it going towards Florida near Miami.
The center of the system is expected to move across the central and northwestern Bahamas on Sunday and Sunday night and approach the southeast U.S. coast early next week.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. Once it reaches 39 miles per hour it will become a tropical storm.
Here are the current hazard concerns for land.
WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected in the central Bahamas beginning later today or early Sunday and in the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area along the east coast of Florida on Monday.
RAINFALL: Tropical Depression Nine is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 8 to 12 inches with isolated maximum totals of 16 inches possible in eastern Cuba, and 4 to 8 inches of rain in the Bahamas. Across Hispaniola, Jamaica, and portions of central and southern Cuba, an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected. This rainfall will likely produce flash and urban flooding. Mudslides are also possible in areas of higher terrain across eastern Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica. Moisture from Tropical Depression Nine will lead to a threat of heavy rainfall well to the north from Coastal Georgia through the Carolinas and into the southern Mid-Atlantic states into early next week which could cause flash, urban, and river flooding.
STORM SURGE: A storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 1 to 3 feet above ground level along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds in the northwestern Bahamas. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large waves.
SURF: Swells generated by this system and Hurricane Humberto will affect portions of the Bahamas this weekend, and spread to portions of the southeast U.S. coast early next week. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
HURRICANE HUMBERTO
At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Humberto was located near latitude 22.7 North, longitude 60.2 West. Humberto is moving toward the west-northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h). A turn toward the northwest is anticipated on Sunday. Humberto is forecast to then turn northward by Tuesday. Maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph (230 km/h) with higher gusts. Humberto is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some strengthening is possible today. Humberto will likely remain a powerful major hurricane for the next several days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles(165 km).The estimated minimum central pressure is 938 mb (27.70 inches).
SURF: Swells generated by Humberto will affect portions of thenorthern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda beginning tonight and continuing next week. Swells from Humberto will also affect the U.S. East Coast beginning Monday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.