Anthony Peña, 19, a Miami-Dade County lifeguard, teaches Abraham Reyes, a kindergartner from Rockway Elementary School, how to swim at Rockway Park Swimming Pool on May 14, 2026, in Miami.
Marra X. Finkelstein
marra.finkelstein@miamiherald.com
South Florida is in for one last blast of rain and roaring thunderstorms before back-to-school week for students in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties.
Beach day on Friday? Hardly.
Scattered to numerous showers and storms are expected to continue the week’s pattern as a disturbance moves across the area, said meteorologist Robert Garcia of the National Weather Service in Miami.
Gusty winds around 17 mph, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours will be the main threats on Friday, Garcia’s report says. South Florida faces a “marginal risk” for excessive rainfall Friday, particularly between noon and 3 p.m.
“The wet weather on Friday won’t be as widespread as the past few days,” CBS News Miami meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez said. But she warned that “some storms may produce heavy rain and localized flooding.”
The highs hit about 90 in the afternoon with a feels-like heat index of 105 after noon.
There’s a rip current risk at coastal beaches through Saturday morning.
Weekend weather
Before school starts Monday morning in Broward and Palm Beach counties, Wednesday in the Florida Keys, and Thursday in Miami-Dade, South Florida faces better weather.
In South Florida, expect a high of 90 or 91 on Saturday and Sunday with a feels-like 106 on Saturday and 103 on Sunday. Rain chances drop to near 30% Saturday and about 20% Sunday. Severe thunderstorms are not expected, according to the weather service.
The Florida Keys could be wetter, at 50% Saturday and 35% Sunday, with highs at 90 and feels-like of 103-105. Gusty winds just over 20 mph could make boating less than ideal.
Back-to-school week
The general forecast Monday through Thursday calls for mostly clear skies and highs around 90.
Here’s what forecasters see on back to school day in each county:
Monday: Broward and Palm Beach kids should get the 2026-2027 school year off to highs around 86 with under a 20% chance of rain. Heat index between 100 and 103.
Wednesday: Monroe County schools in Key West, Stock Island, Big Pine Key, Marathon, Islamorada and Key Largo open to 85 degrees, a feels-like 105, and under 20% chance of rain.
Thursday: Miami-Dade schools open to a sunny high of 90 degrees, a 103 feels-like, and less than a 10% chance of a passing shower.
Cars drives by school-zone speed limit signals around Palmetto Elementary at 12401 SW 74th Ave. in Pinecrest on Feb. 25, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Miami Herald
Miami Herald consumer trends reporter Howard Cohen, a 2017 Media Excellence Awards winner, has covered pop music, theater, health and fitness, obituaries, municipal government, breaking news and general assignment. He started his career in the Features department at the Miami Herald in 1991. Cohen is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Communication.
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