Extreme drought is top concern<\/p>\n
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Hey friends, Katie Garner from The Weather Authority here, and I want to jump right in\u2014what we\u2019re seeing right now is the most severe drought you\u2019ll find in northeast Florida and South Georgia.<\/p>\n
Our Exact Track 4D radar and the drought monitor both show we\u2019re stuck in either an \u201cextreme\u201d or \u201cexceptional\u201d category, which is as high as it gets. It\u2019s no secret that we need rain\u2014badly. So far, we\u2019re just not climbing out of this dry spell, and there\u2019s a pretty significant deficit hanging over us.<\/p>\n
While we could use a good soaking, I know a lot of you are grateful it\u2019s staying dry for your weekend plans.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville\u2019s weekend weather outlook<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk temps. This morning, Jacksonville started out at 63 degrees, and we\u2019re expecting to warm up nicely, hitting a high around 89 degrees by 3 p.m. under partly cloudy skies. Tonight, it should dip to 61 degrees with some clouds sticking around.<\/p>\n
Going into the weekend, things get really comfortable\u2014you can look forward to highs of 71 degrees Saturday and 73 degrees Sunday, which is actually a bit below our average for this time of year. That means you\u2019ll get some great sunshine and none of the rain that we really need.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, these dry, warm conditions are likely to stick with us into next week. The rain chances are pretty much obsolete, sitting around 10 percent or less most days.<\/p>\n
Fire danger remains very high<\/p>\n
One thing I want to keep front and center\u2014the fire risk is very real. With this ongoing drought and barely any wind today (lots of spots are calm or under 10 mph), it helps a little, but it won\u2019t take much to spark trouble.<\/p>\n
The Exact Track 4D radar has even picked up some smoke from ongoing fires and hot spots across the area. That dry brush is basically fuel right now, so please be mindful if you\u2019re spending time outdoors.<\/p>\n
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