South Florida will be hot this weekend, and some areas could see severe thunderstorms

It’s going to be a hot weekend in South Florida as thunderstorms, heavy rains and flooding also remain in Saturday’s forecast.

But the latter won’t likely be as extreme as some of the areas saw on Friday, especially a very wet Broward county.

According to the National Weather Service in Miami, Miami-Dade and Broward should be mostly dry. Some scattered showers and thunderstorms could pass through but the threat of these is mostly across the interior and Lake Okeechobee region.

A few of those storms could be strong, however, with one or two of them possibly severe, meteorologist Pablo Santos wrote in a hazardous weather alert.

These storms could feature strong wind gusts in excess of 40 mph, with some gusts racing up to 58 mph. Frequent lightning, locally heavy rain, with possible flooding in the Lake Okeechobee region, and small hail is also possible.

The Florida Keys has isolated storms in its forecast and a likely small craft advisory for Saturday evening as seas could build as high as 7 feet in the Florida Straits.

Saharan dust making a 5,000-mile journey from Africa to Florida neighborhoods this weekend could also bother those susceptible to respiratory issues but should make for some sumptuous sunsets.

READ MORE: What is Saharan dust? When is it coming to Florida? And what’s good and bad about it?

Florida weekend forecast

Here’s what weather will look like in South Florida in the coming days.

Hot, likely in the upper-80s or low-90s, but with heat indices pushing triple digits, according to the weather service.

The Florida Keys, as well as Homestead to West Palm Beach, should be in the upper 80s but the west coast, including Bradenton, Naples and Everglades City will push toward 94 degrees.

Rain chances in South Florida are in the 30% and 20% range Saturday and Sunday, according to NBC6 meteorologist Ryan Phillips. A bit higher in the Tampa Bay region, at 40% Saturday.

Rip currents on coast

South Florida beaches are also feeling the impact of inclement weather and will continue to into next week.

On Saturday, the Miami weather service issued a rip current statement that warned of a high risk of these dangerous waters along Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach county beaches through Sunday evening.

From Saturday to Thursday, the Atlantic beaches will likely see an elevated risk of rip currents remaining. Because of this, forecasters are telling residents to swim only at guarded beaches and to listen to the advice of beach patrols.

What happened on Friday

From Palm Beach to Miami-Dade, numerous showers and thunderstorms soaked the region on Friday, according to the NHS hazardous weather outlook.

The main concern was locally heavy rainfall, as well as wind gusts in excess of 40 mph and occasional to frequent lightning strikes.

Around 7 p.m., there was significant flooding at Sawgrass Mills Mall as rounds of heavy rainfall came down. Forecasters tweeted, “If you encounter flooded roadways, be sure to turn around don’t drown!”

Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton saw 6 to 8 inches of rain in about five hours Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.

“So far, those are the hardest hit areas,” said Sammy Hadi, a meteorologist, adding they have had reports of water entering buildings and cars stalling out.

A special weather advisory was put into effect until 7:30 p.m. for Coral Springs, Pompano Beach and Boca Raton. Forecasters warned of 40 mph winds and advised to seek shelter.

Hadi did not rule out some more rain going into Friday evening but said it looks like the tropical moisture was moving south.

While rain was the biggest concern, it brings with it potential flash flooding, and he said there were some isolated storms that brought small hail and gusty winds.

The potential for more rain is likely for Saturday as well as Sunday, he said, before the rain begins to move away.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be the same level, but there is definitely a possibility of more rain tomorrow.”

The hazardous weather outlook says there will be a chance of afternoon and evening showers and storms from Saturday to Thursday, with the main concern being gusty winds, brief periods of heavy rainfall and lightning strikes.

Street flooding in North Broward, South Palm Beach

Forecasters were concerned with Friday storms bringing street flooding and closures as water entered some structures in low-lying areas.

Flood advisories were issued for parts of Pembroke Pines and Weston. The advisories lasted until 7:30 p.m. and residents were being warned of minor flooding in those areas.

Florida weather is going extreme. It’ll feel like 100, and storms and dust coming, too