It’s been a very hot and humid week as we count down the final days of spring, and no prolonged heat relief is in sight as we welcome summer on Sunday. Cooling fronts have remained to our north — as is very typical for these warmer weather months — as dominant winds have been out of a g eneral southerly direction. That’s been the case this week and will remain the case this weekend into next week. An area of high pressure distant over the Atlantic will remain in control on Friday but a new high will develop over the Gulf by the weekend. So while it will be breezy much of the day Friday — making the heat somewhat more bearable — winds will relax over the weekend due to this Gulf high, making the heat feel worse. Either way, highs from Friday into next week will continue to hover in the mid 90s and peak feels-like temperatures will consistently top off at around 105F — give-or-take a few degrees above or below. With that said, some rain relief will be possible, especially Friday into the weekend, but the highest rain chances look to be late in the day, setting the stage for hot temperatures much of the time. For our Friday, which is Juneteenth, expect hot sunshine to give way to cloudier skies late and scattered storms, especially away from the coast. Given the fact that the highest of rain chances will be inland, this will be good news as it could help contain or even put out the active fires in western Miami-Dade. What we don’t need are additional fires to spark from lightning. Also, with winds veering more out of the south Friday and then become light and rather variable over the weekend, times of smoky skies and reduced air quality will be a concern. Now back to our rain chances: over the weekend on both Saturday and Sunday, a round of scattered showers and storms will be possible. Therefore, for Father’s Day on Sunday, outdoor activities may need a back-up plan given potential storms. Lower rain chances then return next week. We still do need more rain given the big deficit this June, despite the fact that the drought monitor continues to show positive improvements. Tropical update The remnants of Arthur — currently bringing heavy rain across parts of the Southeast — has a low chance it redevelops once it moves off the US East Coast tomorrow or Saturday. ...read more read less