SWFL.io - Local NewsMeteorologist: Andrew Shipotofsky
•8/16/2026
Southwest Florida is wrapping up another scorching day, and the heat will continue into Monday.
After temperatures climbed into the mid and upper 90s this afternoon, skies will remain mostly clear overnight with temperatures falling into the mid to upper 70s by Monday morning.
Monday will bring another mostly sunny and very hot day, with only a stray shower possible. High temperatures will climb into the mid to upper 90s across Southwest Florida.
Those temperatures will challenge records. Fort Myers is forecast to reach 96 degrees, within a degree of the record high for Monday of 97 degrees
Very dry air remains in place, keeping rain chances low at just 10% Monday and Tuesday.
The lack of rain and cloud cover will continue to fuel the heat, so be prepared for another stretch of dangerous outdoor conditions during the afternoon.
Changes begin Wednesday as moisture gradually returns to Southwest Florida.
Rain chances increase to around 30% Wednesday, then 40% Thursday through Saturday. That increase in clouds and scattered storms should help take the edge off the heat slightly, although highs will still remain in the low to mid-90s.
The moisture trend continues into next weekend, with scattered storms becoming more common as Southwest Florida moves away from the exceptionally dry air currently in place.
In the Central Pacific, Tropical Storm Lala has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and is moving west-northwest at 16 mph.
The storm is expected to strengthen back into a hurricane as it continues moving away from Hawaii and farther into the open Central Pacific. Forecast guidance shows Lala becoming an 80 mph hurricane by Tuesday and remaining over open water through the rest of the week.
In the Atlantic, tropical development is not expected over the next seven days.