Long-term drought combined with generally dry conditions to provide an environment where any fires that start could spread and linger.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.
Long-term drought combined with generally dry conditions to provide an environment where any fires that start could spread and linger.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 13, 11:37 AM EST, 23 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Miami FL
1237 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026
...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION, MARINE, BEACHES...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 1232 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026
- Dangerous rip currents will continue at all east coast
beaches of South Florida through at least Tuesday evening.
- Gusty winds continue across south Florida today, especially
along the immediate east coast where gusts up to 25-30 mph
are possible.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
(Rest of today through Tuesday)
Issued at 1232 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026
Stout mid-level ridging remains entrenched across the southeastern
United States this afternoon as 500mb pressure heights remain around
the 97th-99th percentile when compared to climatological norms. The
ridge aloft is also represented nicely in recent ACARS soundings
from SoFlo airports as a substantial amount of dry air remains in
most of the vertical column with a subsidence inversion at 800-
900mb. At the surface, a sprawling ridge of high pressure remains in
place across South Florida and much of the western Atlantic waters
resulting in a continued gusty easterly flow at the surface across
most of the region as the pressure gradient remains in place.
Precipitable water values remain at or just above the 10th
percentile for today's date, indicative of an atmosphere that
remains anhydrous outside of an isolated sprinkle or two. A narrow
layer of greater moisture at 4,000 to 5,000 feet will once again
allow for the development of scattered flat-topped cumulus clouds
that will remain vertically capped with height, confined to the
layer by the subsidence inversion above.
Deep-layer ridging will remain the status quo over South Florida
tonight into Tuesday as the pressure gradient at the surface
gradually relaxes. Precipitable water values will remain between the
10th to 25th percentile during this time period, with a subsidence
inversion keeping any clouds vertically capped with height. Still
cannot rule out a few brisk moving light showers moving onshore
across the east coast metro due to the local maxima of moisture and
instability from the Gulfstream waters. Even in a dry environment,
the mesoscale moisture source could still spur some non-zero threat
of showers as indicated by the HRRR and a few other convective
models. Have opted to go above NBM guidance (0% POP) and added in a
10-15% chance of rain along the east coast of SoFlo tomorrow morning.
A temperature gradient will continue across the region both during
the day and overnight as onshore winds keep temperatures along the
east coast cooler during the day and warmer overnight. High
temperatures today and tomorrow will range from the upper 70s to low
80s across the east coast metro to upper 80s (even a smattering of
low 90s) across the western half of South Florida. Overnight
temperatures will range from the low 70s along the immediate east
coast to low 60s across inland portions of the region tonight into
early Tuesday morning.
&&
.LONG TERM...
(Tuesday night through next Sunday)
Issued at 1232 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026
Deep layer ridging and copious amounts of dry air will remain
throughout the vertical atmospheric column for much of the upcoming
work week. Although surface ridging will remain entrenched across
the region over the next several days, a weakening pressure gradient
will result in a gradual relaxing of surface winds towards the end
of the work week. Subsidence, low precipitable water values compared
to historical climatological norms, and a lack of any significant
rainfall & sufficient cloud cover will result in a continued warming
trend across the majority of the region with the potential of high
temperatures in the low 90s across the western half of South Florida
by mid- week. An onshore breeze will keep high temperatures slightly
cooler along the east coast but temperatures in the middle to upper
80s will be possible across the east coast metro during the second
half of the week.
Mid-level ridging will gradually elongate and flatten during the
second half of the week as transient lobes (troughing) of mid-level
vorticity advect eastward across the central United States while a
new foci of surface high pressure develops across the southeastern
United States. As the mid-level trough axis advects along, 500mb
flow will briefly veer northwesterly as a new axis of mid-level
ridging develops over the Gulf. A plume of deeper atmospheric
moisture in the boundary layer will advect into the region via the
anti-cyclonic flow around this feature which will usher in higher
precipitable water values and slightly higher rain chances on Sunday
into early next week. While spotty showers remain possible during
this portion of the extended period, significant rainfall (any
substantial drought relief) remains elusive for South Florida over
the next several days.
Generally speaking though, by the end of the week into the upcoming
weekend there may be some low end shower chances along the east
coast in the mornings, with some isolated seabreeze convection
across the interior and west coast in the afternoons.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1232 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026
VFR and breezy easterly flow throughout the TAF period at all
terminals. Winds may lessen slightly overnight but will once again
enhance after daybreak on Tuesday.
&&
.MARINE...
Issued at 1232 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026
Lingering hazardous winds will continue across the Atlantic waters
today into Tuesday before improving towards mid-week. ENE winds
20-25 kts with seas of 6-7 feet are expected in the southern
Atlantic waters today and may also be seen briefly at times in the
northern local Atlantic waters off of the Palm Beach coast. While
winds and seas will subside a bit for the remainder of the week
after today, cautionary conditions will continue across the
Atlantic as winds and gusts likely won't drop below 15 knots
through the end of the week.
&&
.BEACHES...
Issued at 1232 PM EDT Mon Apr 13 2026
The high risk for deadly rip currents will most likely continue for
much of the week as consistent onshore flow continues. The strong
onshore flow around the surface ridge will also result in elevated
surf today with breakers around 4-6 ft. As winds gradually subside
later in the work week, the rip current risk should gradually
abate.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Miami 70 81 69 81 / 0 0 0 0
West Kendall 66 83 65 83 / 0 0 0 0
Opa-Locka 69 82 68 82 / 0 0 0 0
Homestead 70 81 69 82 / 0 0 0 0
Fort Lauderdale 71 79 70 79 / 0 0 0 0
N Ft Lauderdale 70 79 69 80 / 0 0 0 0
Pembroke Pines 71 84 70 84 / 0 0 0 0
West Palm Beach 69 80 68 80 / 0 0 0 0
Boca Raton 70 80 69 80 / 0 0 0 0
Naples 66 87 65 87 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...High Rip Current Risk through Tuesday evening for FLZ168-172-173.
AM...Small Craft Advisory until 8 AM EDT Tuesday for AMZ630-650-651-
670-671.
GM...None.
&&
SHORT TERM...Hadi
LONG TERM....Hadi
AVIATION...HadiThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Florida Forest Service reports that the Newman Drive wildfire in Collier County is at 100% containment with a final total acreage burned of 1,733.
The Hilux Wildfire reached 420 acres and at one point led to evacuations of visitors at the Bear Island Campground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2026
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1332903, 1335009.