FPREN

Daylight, rainfall, and temperatures have a significant impact on the plants shutting down (or not) and eventually having their leaves change colors, and the weather factors are shifting.

Florida has officially entered fall with the autumnal equinox, but the season will still feel summer-like. While daylight hours shorten and temperatures gradually cool, much of the state is starting the season warmer than average. Northern Florida will eventually see highs drop into the 60s, while South Florida transitions from the upper 80s to near 80 by late fall.

Two weeks can bring many changes in the drought. South Florida's constant stream of downpours put a good dent in the drought, but the Panhandle drought has doubled and tripled in the first two categories. The outlook seems promising.

TD7 became Tropical Storm Gabrielle before mid-day Wednesday and will likely become a hurricane late this weekend as it stays away from land.

Climavision, a weather technology company, plans to install at least four new radar systems across the state, which will help improve detection of precipitation. The National Weather Service operates long-range Doppler radar systems across Florida, with sites in Tampa, Key West, Miami and Melbourne, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle.

Wednesday and Thursday will be busy, with a flash flood risk in place, as some areas could receive over 6 inches of rain.

Florida is nearing completion on more $180 million Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, designed to withstand powerful hurricanes. The state-of-the-art facility will replace the current overcrowded center by the start of the 2026 hurricane season.

It's September, usually a busy month for tropical systems. The African monsoon is the factory of tropical waves, and the Atlantic Basin is all fair game.

Flood advisories have been reissued for parts of South Florida on Thursday, and the wet, stormy pattern is expected to persist as a front remains draped over the region.

The Atlantic basin hurricane season is experiencing its quietest peak in more than 30 years, with dry air and stable atmospheric conditions limiting storm formation. Forecasters warn that late-season activity could still produce a hurricane threat for the U.S.