PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB-TV) – We’re starting this Thursday with temperatures mainly in the mid-70s and a mostly clear sky. Though, it is warmer, muggier and a bit wetter down in southern Gulf County and along the Forgotten Coast. Winds have already shifted to the southeast in these locations, resulting in an increase in moisture in the atmosphere and a few pop-up showers. Later in the day, the winds will shift more to the south and southwest, pumping up the humidity across the Panhandle. The air temperature will still reach the low-mid 90s today, but it will feel like the low 100s thanks to the higher humidity. With more moisture present in all levels of the atmosphere today and daytime heating (energy of the sun), there’ll be a better chance to see scattered pop-up showers/storms this afternoon. Based off the initial winds out of the east, the storms will probably pop in our southeastern and coastal areas first before shifting inland with a southerly wind and our sea breeze. Rain chances today sit at 40%, so less than half of the population will see the wet weather.
Two rounds of storms will be possible on Friday: the first occurring in the early to mid-morning hours and the second happening around lunchtime to dinnertime. Both will be due to complexes of storms known as MCS’s (Mesoscale Convective System). The first one will likely be dying as it attempts to move into the Panhandle from the northeast. The second may still retain its strength moving from central Alabama southward later in the day. Isolated severe storms are possible from these systems. The greatest concern will be damaging wind gusts of 60+ mph.
Heading into the weekend, we return to our typical pop-up pattern with showers and storms becoming more hit-or-miss. Rain chances hover around 50% from the coast to inland. Temperatures will remain in the low-mid 90s for highs and mid-upper 70s for lows.
