268  
FXUS62 KMLB 221742  
AFDMLB  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL  
142 PM EDT WED JUL 22 2026  
   
..NEW AVIATION  
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
ISSUED AT 251 AM EDT WED JUL 22 2026  
 
- DRIER AIR WILL LEAD TO LOWER THAN NORMAL SHOWER AND STORM  
CHANCES THROUGH THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY. INCREASING MOISTURE  
INTO LATE WEEK AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL THEN ALLOW RAIN  
CHANCES TO RETURN TO NEAR NORMAL VALUES.  
 
- NEAR TO ABOVE-NORMAL AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST THROUGH  
THE PERIOD WITH PEAK HEAT INDICES EXCEEDING 100F EACH DAY.  
PRACTICING HEAT SAFETY WILL BE KEY TO AVOID HEAT-RELATED  
ILLNESS!  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 251 AM EDT WED JUL 22 2026  
 
TODAY-THURSDAY... UPPER LEVEL RIDGING ACROSS THE PLAINS AND THE DEEP  
SOUTH WILL STAY IN PLACE THROUGH THE TIME PERIOD. AT THE SURFACE,  
HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC WILL STRENGTHEN AND CONTINUE TO  
BUILD ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND INTO THE GULF, WITH THE RIDGE  
AXIS LIFTING NORTHWARD. THIS WILL ALLOW TROPICAL STORM (TS) BERTHA  
TO MOVE WESTWARD ALONG TO JUST SOUTH OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST  
THROUGH MIDWEEK. LOCALLY, WINDS WILL WEAKEN AS THE RIDGE AXIS  
MOVES NORTHWARD AND THE WINDS GRADUALLY BECOME MORE ONSHORE, WITH  
S/SE WINDS TODAY AND E/SE WINDS ON THURSDAY. THE EAST COAST SEA  
BREEZE IS FORECAST TO FORM EACH DAY AND MOVE INLAND, WHICH WILL  
TURN THE WINDS MORE ONSHORE BEHIND THE SEA BREEZE.  
 
DRIER AIR WILL SETTLE OVER THE AREA, WITH FORECAST PW VALUES RANGING  
FROM 1.5-1.7", WHICH WILL RESULT IN REDUCED RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THE  
PERIOD. LOWER THAN NORMAL RAIN CHANCES ARE FORECAST, WITH A LOW TO  
MEDIUM (20-40 PERCENT) CHANCE OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING STORMS TODAY AND  
A LOW (20 PERCENT) CHANCE ON THURSDAY. HIGHEST COVERAGE OF STORMS  
TODAY WILL BE AROUND THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON,  
AND THEN FOCUSED WEST OF ORLANDO WITH THE SEA BREEZE COLLISION NEAR  
TO AFTER SUNSET. DUE TO THE MORE DOMINATE ONSHORE FLOW ON THURSDAY,  
HIGHEST COVERAGE WILL BE ACROSS THE WESTERN INTERIOR IN THE  
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG. FORECAST  
SOUNDINGS SUPPORT THIS WITH PLENTY OF INSTABILITY (MUCAPE 1500-2000  
J/KG), DRIER AIR ALOFT, STEEP LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES, AND SUFFICIENT  
DOWNDRAFT POTENTIAL (DCAPE 700-1200 J/KG). BECAUSE OF THIS, THE  
MAIN STORM HAZARDS WILL BE FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES, AND GUSTY  
WINDS TO 50 MPH, AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL, WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS IN  
THE LOW TO MID 90S, WITH MORE WIDESPREAD MID 90S ACROSS THE  
INTERIOR, EACH AFTERNOON. DUE TO THE DRIER AIR ALOFT, DEWPOINTS  
SHOULD BE LOWER AS MIXING INCREASES INTO THE AFTERNOON. THIS WILL  
ALLOW PEAK HEAT INDICES TO REACH 100-107F, WHICH REMAINS BELOW HEAT  
ADVISORY CRITERIA. WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST OVERNIGHT,  
WITH LOWS GENERALLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S EACH NIGHT.  
 
FRIDAY-MONDAY... UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE PLAINS AND THE  
DEEP SOUTH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE AS A TROUGH OVER THE MIDWEST SHIFTS  
EASTWARD TOWARDS THE ATLANTIC COAST AND DIGS SOUTHWARD TOWARDS THE  
FLORIDA INTO THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. AT THE SURFACE, THE  
ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS A  
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PUSHES OFF THE COAST OF THE CAROLINAS. AN  
ASSOCIATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL DIG THROUGH THE DEEP SOUTH INTO  
LATE WEEK AND INTO NORTHERN FLORIDA BEFORE STALLING OVER THE  
WEEKEND. THE FRONT WILL THEN DRIFT SLOWLY SOUTHWARD INTO EARLY NEXT  
WEEK AS IT WEAKENS. THERE REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH HOW FAR  
SOUTH THIS BOUNDARY WILL GO BEFORE IT STALLS. LOCALLY, LINGERING DRY  
AIR ACROSS THE NORTH ON FRIDAY WILL KEEP RAIN CHANCES LIMITED, WITH  
MOISTURE INCREASING ACROSS THE SOUTH, CAUSING A RETURN OF NEAR TO  
ABOVE NORMAL RAIN CHANCES. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS  
THE AREA THIS WEEKEND, WITH SHOWER AND LIGHTNING STORM ACTIVITY  
PRIMARILY BEING DRIVEN BY SEA BREEZE INTERACTIONS/COLLISIONS.  
OFFSHORE (WESTERLY) FLOW WILL ALSO RETURN THIS WEEKEND AND CONTINUE  
INTO THE NEXT WEEK, WHICH WILL FAVOR HIGHER COVERAGE OF STORMS  
ACROSS THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE PENINSULA NEAR THE COAST. MONDAY,  
RAIN AND STORM CHANCES WILL BE NEAR TO NORMAL AREAWIDE AS DEEP  
MOISTURE FROM THE DECAYING BOUNDARY REACHES THE LOCAL AREA, WITH  
NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL RAIN AND STORM CHANCES ON TUESDAY AS LINGERING  
MOISTURE IS AIDED BY NORMAL SEA BREEZE INTERACTIONS/COLLISIONS. ANY  
LINGERING SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL DIMINISH EACH EVENING THROUGH THE  
OVERNIGHT HOURS. HOWEVER, ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL REMAIN  
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC WATERS EACH NIGHT.  
 
A SLIGHT WARMING TREND IS FORECAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH ABOVE  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES FORECAST THROUGH SUNDAY. CURRENT GUIDANCE  
INDICATES THAT INCREASING CLOUD COVERAGE AND RAIN CHANCES WILL HELP  
KEEP TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO NORMAL MONDAY AND TUESDAY. PEAK HEAT  
INDICES WILL GENERALLY BE 100-107F, WITH SOME LOCATIONS POTENTIALLY  
NEARING HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA, ESPECIALLY OVER THE WEEKEND.  
CONFIDENCE IN THIS REMAINS LOW HOWEVER, SO WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR.  
LOWS WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE 70S EACH NIGHT.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
ISSUED AT 251 AM EDT WED JUL 22 2026  
 
TODAY-SUNDAY... TS BERTHA IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE TO MOVE  
WESTWARD NEAR TO JUST SOUTH OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST THROUGH  
MIDWEEK. SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY,  
WITH SPEEDS OF 10- 15 KT EACH DAY, ALTHOUGH WINDS MAY INCREASE TO  
NEAR 20 KT IN THE NEARSHORE VOLUSIA WATERS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING.  
THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL THEN LOOSEN INTO THE LATE WEEK/WEEKEND  
AS THE ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDS BACK ACROSS THE REGION  
THROUGH LATE WEEK AND THEN SHIFTS SOUTHWARD INTO THE WEEKEND,  
RESULTING IN WIND SPEEDS GENERALLY AROUND 10 KT. WINDS WILL SHIFT  
EAST TO SOUTHEAST ON FRIDAY, SOUTHERLY ON SATURDAY, AND WEST TO  
SOUTHWEST ON SUNDAY. HOWEVER THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE IS FORECAST  
TO FORM EACH DAY, TURNING THE WINDS E/SE EACH AFTERNOON. SEAS  
1-3FT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS EACH DAY THROUGH  
LATE WEEK, WITH MOISTURE INCREASING FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND,  
RESULTING IN A GRADUAL RISE IN RAIN AND STORM CHANCES.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
(18Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 134 PM EDT WED JUL 22 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST OUTSIDE OF SHOWERS AND LIGHTNING  
STORMS. VCTS IS FORECAST AT KLEE AND KISM AFTER 21Z/22Z. VCSH IS  
FORECAST THIS AFTN/EVE AT THE OTHER TAF SITES EXCEPT FOR  
KMLB/KTIX/KDAB. SSE WINDS AT 8-12KTS WITH GUSTS TO 15-18KTS ARE  
FORECAST TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN AFTER 00Z-03Z BEFORE INCREASING FROM  
THE ESE AFTER 14Z THU. VCSH RETURNS AT KMCO AFTER 18Z THU.  
 
 
 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS  
 
DAB 76 91 76 90 / 10 10 0 10  
MCO 77 96 76 95 / 10 20 0 40  
MLB 77 90 78 90 / 10 10 10 30  
VRB 76 91 77 90 / 20 20 20 30  
LEE 78 95 77 94 / 40 20 10 30  
SFB 77 95 76 94 / 10 10 0 30  
ORL 77 95 76 94 / 10 20 0 40  
FPR 76 90 77 90 / 20 20 30 40  
 
 
   
MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
FL...NONE.  
AM...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...WATSON  
AVIATION...FEHLING  
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