Travel & RV Weather Forecast Saturday 24 September

** Heads Up ** RVers in or traveling to Florida need to stay aware of Tropical Storm Ian, now in the Caribbean Sea and strengthening. There will likely be evacuations Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and significant impacts on parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast from this hurricane-to-be. See details under the ‘Eastern’ heading of this forecast.

Strong winds today over much of Maine, associated with Hurricane Fiona.
Strong or locally severe thunderstorms possible Sunday from southern New England to Mid-Atlantic and Southern Appalachians.
Excessive heat next week for parts of Southern California.

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Pacific:

— Parts of interior southern CA: Excessive Heat Warnings Sunday through Tuesday. High temperatures 105-110 deg F. I-8, I-10 impacted.

— Coastal southern CA: Excessive Heat Watch Monday through Wednesday. High temperatures 95-105 deg F. I-5, I-8, I-10, I-15, US-101 impacted.

Mountain:

— Southeast MT; northeast WY and adjacent SD: Strong winds this afternoon. Gusts 30-35 mph. I-90 impacted.

Central:

— Portions of west-central MN: Dense Fog Advisory this morning. I-94 potentially impacted.

— Southeast NE; northeast KS; southern IA; northern AR: Dense Fog Advisories this morning. I-35, I-70, I-80 impacted.

— Central and northeast AR; western TN; northwest MS: A few strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Damaging wind gusts and hail are the main threats. I-40, I-44, I-55 potentially impacted.

Eastern:

— Northern, central and eastern ME: High Wind Warnings and Advisories continue through this evening. Wind gusts 45-55 mph associated with Hurricane Fiona. Highest wind gusts at higher elevations and this morning, decreasing throughout the day. I-95 impacted.

— MA; CT; RI; southern NY; eastern, central and southwest PA; NJ; MD; DC; DE; VA; WV; eastern KY; western and north-central NC; eastern TN: Strong to locally severe thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and evening. Damaging winds are the primary threat. There is also a threat of hail along the I-81 corridor and an additional threat of a tornado or two over southern New England.

— Tropical Storm Ian is southeast of Jamaica this morning, moving to the west and strengthening. Ian will likely became a hurricane by early Monday morning as it turns to the northwest over eastern Cuba and enters the Gulf of Mexico. There is still considerable uncertainty on where Ian will make landfall along the Gulf Coast the middle of next week; as of Saturday morning it could be anywhere from Panama City to Tampa Bay.
RVers in Florida, especially the Keys and along the eastern Gulf of Mexico, should closely monitor this storm. If you have plans to travel to the Keys, check with your campground and the Monroe County Emergency Management site to ensure you can still come. It is likely you will be required to evacuate Sunday or Monday.
RVers along the Gulf Coast of Florida (north of the Keys): You can expect Tropical Storm force winds to impact the coast from south to north starting on Tuesday and Tuesday evening. The greatest risk for hurricane force winds and storm surge is from Cedar Key southwards to the Keys.
RVer’s along the Florida Atlantic Coast should pay close attention. Even through the primary threat is on the Gulf Coast, these strong storms can create strong winds, flooding and storm surge on the east coast of Florida.

Severe Weather and Tropical Watches and Warnings

— See https://rvweather.com/warnings-watches-and-advisories/#NHC_Hurricane_Advisory for the latest WARNINGS and information on Tropical Storm Ian.

— See https://rvweather.com/warnings-watches-and-advisories/#SPC_Tornado_Watch for the latest Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm WATCHES

— See https://rvweather.com/warnings-watches-and-advisories/#NWS_Tornado_Warning for the latest Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, and Flash Flood WARNINGS.

Chance of near-hurricane force winds. If you are inside the 20% contour, you should consider moving your RV to a safer location. If you cannot move, secure your RV as best you can and seek shelter away from Storm Surge and in a sturdy building.