Hope you enjoyed the relatively nice Saturday because changes are ahead Sunday into early next week. That includes a big ramp up in winds, a rise in rain chances as well as a rise in water levels, with King Tides predicted to peak on Monday. Beginning with the winds, speeds will increase throu ghout the day Sunday and will remain strong on both Monday and Tuesday. Peak gusts each day are forecast to be in the 35-40 mph range and sustained winds in the 15-25 mph range. This will keep marine conditions increasingly hazardous. For the east coast, there’s a Small Craft Advisory in effect through Sunday afternoon, then a Gale Warning goes into effect from tonight through Tuesday. For the Florida Keys, a Small Craft Advisory is in place for Hawk Channel while a Gale Watch is posted for the Florida Straits. As far as rain goes, rain chances will be higher this Sunday — reaching a 70% chance. The expectation is for a gradual increase in rain coverage as Sunday progresses, with widely scattered showers in the morning, then numerous rounds of quick-hitting downpours and storms in the afternoon and evening. Given the strong onshore wind and King Tides, instances of flash flooding cannot be ruled out where heavy rain falls. Now on Monday, it’s actually trending drier as the mid to upper level low we’ve been following has trended a bit farther away from South Florida. The result? Fewer showers and a bit more sunshine. Tuesday then is trending wetter with scattered to numerous showers increasingly likely, which could keep flood concerns elevated. For the rest of the week, rain chances should drop somewhat but occasional, passing showers are still expected to ride the breeze onshore. Lastly, there’s the King Tides that remain an ongoing concern for coastal sections of South Florida and the Keys. A Coastal Flood Advisory remains in effect today for the east coast given moderate flooding expected during high tide. Then there’s a Coastal Flood Warning that will be in place for Monday and Tuesday given the risk for major coastal flooding. In the Florida Keys, there’s a Coastal Flood Warning (major flood risk) for the upper Keys and an Advisory for the lower to middle Keys. Water levels will gradually decrease as this week progresses following the peak of the full moon tonight. ...read more read less