Meteorologist: Zach Maloch
•8/12/2026
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (WINK) — Southwest Florida has been under the magnifying glass courtesy of Mother Nature.
Afternoon high's soared well into the mid and even upper 90s in some spots once again, a repeat nearly a mirror image of what's occurred since Monday. There is a little hope on the way. The keyword there is, little. Friday and Saturday we'll see some extra moisture to play with during the afternoon hours, that could spark additional rains and storms that more of us could see. But for your Thursday, Friday eve for many, we'll see a continuation of the heat, partly cloudy skies and only isolated rains. Especially as Saharan air and dust tries to build in overhead, reinforcing this hot pattern.
Thursday starts dry and mild once again with temperatures in the 70s. The heat continues Thursday with highs in the lower to mid 90s and "feels like" temperatures between 104 - 110°. A heat advisory will once again be needed for some areas of Southwest Florida. Isolated storms (30% coverage) pop up in the afternoon and will continues into the evening hours.
Over the next week, Friday and Saturday look to be our best chance at some more widespread rains. Just be careful if you are out and about. What storms do get fired up in the late afternoon could pack a considerable punch. The drier air high above us helps load the storms with a little extra wind, so have a way to get those special weather statements from National Weather Service advising of gusty conditions headed your way. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is doable, as is locally heavy downpours in short periods of time.
Out to the tropics, we've had some breaking news at the Weather Authority this evening. Tropical storm Cristobal came to be earlier today, and development chances for our current area of investigation, 92L, increased. Now we have another new player on the board. National Hurricane Center has officially designated the disturbance behind 92L, closer to the coast of Africa, as invest 94L. Remember - an invest simply means an area of investigation. NHC deems these two features impressive enough to take a closer look which throws us a bone here in the weather center. We'll start getting higher resolution models and more repetitive updates as we move ahead through time.
We highly encourage you stick with your Weather Authority the next several days as we track a hopeful break in this extensive heat as well as what continues to unravel out in the Atlantic.
1) Central Tropical Atlantic — Invest 92-L
A tropical wave about 800 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is becoming better organized, with showers and thunderstorms increasing around the system. Conditions are expected to remain favorable for development over the next few days. A tropical depression could form within the next couple of days as the system moves west to west-northwest across the central Atlantic. This system is looking to track into the Caribbean this weekend which will limit how strong it can get thanks to wind shear present in that area. WINK News Weather Authority Meteorologists are watching this one closely.
Next 48 hours: 70% chance of development
Next 7 days: 80% chance of development
2) Central Subtropical Atlantic — Invest 93-L
A broad area of low pressure about 1,000 miles east-northeast of Bermuda has developed gale-force winds. However, the circulation is stretched out, and thunderstorms have become less organized. Some additional development is possible through tonight, and the system could briefly become a tropical storm as it moves east to east-northeast at around 20 mph. The system is moving away from the United States and is will not be a concern.
Next 48 hours: 50% chance of development
Next 7 days: 50% chance of development
3) Eastern Tropical Atlantic
A tropical wave just off the west coast of Africa is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Some gradual development is possible over the next several days as the wave moves west to west-northwest across the eastern and central Atlantic. This system currently has a low chance of developing, but models show some development of this disturbance over the next 7 days. WINK News Weather Authority Meteorologists are watching this one closely.
Next 48 hours: 10% chance of development
Next 7 days: 20% chance of development
