First alarm forecast: May 11th

Northern lights and perfect weather for Mother’s Day

Updated: May 11, 2024, 6:51 p.m. EDT

NIGHT, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THAT, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF IT NOW. AND JUSTIN HAS ANOTHER TREAT FOR YOU HERE SOON. BUT THIS IS RIGHT HERE IN THE SOUTHWEST OF FLORIDA. A real treat. Look at these pictures again. THIS IS THE NORTHERN LIGHTS THAT YOU SEE THAT THE PEOPLE HERE AT NBC HAVE SHARED WITH US. 2 OF OUR VIEWERS, IF YOU’RE WONDERING IF YOU CAN SEE THEM TONIGHT, OK, HERE’S THE GOOD PART. LET’S SEND THE FIRST ALERT. Meteorologist Justin Hobbs, because that’s the big question right now. In case you missed it last night and saw all these beautiful pictures. You can see the night. ABSOLUTELY. I think we have a good chance of seeing at least these. Remember, you already know their runs want to be here. I WANT TO GUARANTEE BECAUSE PREDICTING THIS THING IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I mean, you talk about it. >> SOLAR WINDS MOVE AT A MILLION MILES PER HOUR OR MORE AND THEY TRAVEL FROM A DISTANCE OF 93 MILLION MILES. It’s very hard to predict these things. THEY ARE HARD TO SEE. I told you I’m a living weapon. I WOULD DRIVE TO SEE THIS LIKE EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE I NEED TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS AND THERE’S SUCH A WIDE. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE GET REALLY EMOTIONAL WHEN THEY WATCH IT FOR A VERY EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. I’LL SEE YOU IN ICELAND. So let’s talk about our chance tonight. FIRST YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE GEOMAGNETIC STORMS GO. We cause storms like a hurricane or a tornado. YOU HAVE A SCALE. The GS scale G 1 is a week like a hurricane. WHERE IS AG 5 WILL BE STRONGEST FOR US TO SEE HERE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. We need to get to the G-5 level that the northern lights reach down here in the south to our area manager, otherwise it probably won’t happen tonight. WHAT THE FORECAST IS FOR US HERE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WAS JUST RECENTLY UPDATED, AND THE LATEST FORECAST SAYS AT LEAST G FOR GREATER, IS FACT. AND I KNOW IT IS VERY TIME TO READ YOUR G 5. THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE WE CAN SEE IT. I know that little line doesn’t show it, but these pictures can go even 1,000 miles south of there. So how can you increase your chances of making sure it gets out there tonight? I’m going out there. I just charged my camera to take some long exposure shots of it. You want to go outside. Probably the best time would be two hours before midnight. So from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the morning. Look north, to the northern horizon. AND IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES, USE YOUR CAMERA. PHONE CAMERA WORKS WELL BECAUSE CAMERAS CAN RECORD SOME OF THE WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT THAT WE CANNOT SEE WITH OUR EYES. We have seen some of these images. SO YOU AND YOUR CAMERA WILL SEE A LITTLE BETTER AND TAKE A LONG EXPOSURE THAT REALLY ENHANCES IT. What about the weather? WILL THE WEATHER PLAY FOR IT? ABSOLUTELY. It looks great out there. We only have a few small clouds out here. BEAUTIFUL WEATHER CUMULUS CLOUDS, THIS LITTLE RYAN RIGHT HERE. THIS IS THE COLD FRONT THAT PRESENT SOME SMALL LIGHT SHOWERS TODAY. JUST SOUTH OF FORT MYERS It starts to crowd. It will continue until we get here this evening. The good news on this front actually impacts our Mother’s Day by bringing us slightly lower humidity. I know it’s been sticky the last few days, but Mother’s Day is looking really nice. WILL COLLECT THESE DEW POINTS. 65 SHOULD FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE OUT THERE AS WE ENTER THE AFTERNOON. SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO BE OUTSIDE NOW, FORT MYERS BEACH, A GORGEOUS EVENING TO WATCH THE SUNSET AT 85 DEGREES. The dew point is still pretty soupy out there. The dew point is 74 degrees and begins to drop as we sleep overnight. TONIGHT. We are 86 years old in Fort Myers and are still dealing with some 90s inland as we continue that night, remaining very mild. WE WILL STILL SEE TEMPERATURES ALONG THE COAST IN THE LOW 80S. Come into your evening staying very mild, dropping towards the mid to low 70s by around 5am tomorrow morning. By the time we get to tomorrow afternoon, it will be like this again. Another warm day. We’ll see these temperatures climb steadily until lunchtime or into the 80s. And I think we’re going to get temperatures around 94 degrees here in Fort Myers. Inland areas will be well above average for this time of year, likely in the low 90s and upper 80s along the coast. LOOKS REALLY NICE FOR MOTHER’S DAY. So we plan it by 10am. IF YOU GO TO BRUNCH, OUTSIDE LOOKS GREAT, 85 DEGREES, GO TO THE BEACH WITH YOUR MOTHER. 93 AT 2 PM. THE SUNSET HOUR. 83 DEGREES. IF YOU ARE ON THE WATER, BOATING CONDITIONS WILL BE GOOD WITH NORTH AND WEST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. EASY HACK ON THE SEASON. Overall, it is a gift for our mothers out there. This beautiful weather and of course the Northern Lights, which are extremely rare here in Southwest Florida. GO OUT. Check it out tonight. Once we get through this weekend it’s going to be great, but the weather returns a bit to the rainy season and isolated shower chances further inland on Monday will have a better chance of rain

Northern lights and perfect weather for Mother’s Day

Updated: May 11, 2024, 6:51 p.m. EDT

As we prepare for Mother’s Day, we are excited to announce a truly rare treat: Northern Lights! This heavenly spectacle that we were able to witness on Friday evening is a sight to behold. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Space Weather Prediction Center are predicting a Category 4 storm, possibly escalating to Force 5 at times, promising a breathtaking spectacle. Geomagnetic storms are rated 1 to 5 in intensity on the “G” scale. It would have to be at least a Category 5 storm to see the lights here in Southwest Florida. Keep in mind that this is not guaranteed, as predicting the Aurora Borealis is extremely difficult as solar winds travel at speeds of over 1 million miles per hour and come from the Sun, over 93 million miles away. However, even if we have a chance to reach G5, you should take the opportunity as it is extremely rare. Before yesterday, we hadn’t experienced a G5 storm since 2003. To see the lights, look toward the northern horizon, mainly from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. or before sunrise. You can increase your chances of capturing the lights by using a camera; Yes, your phone’s camera works, especially when you set a long exposure. Cameras can detect wavelengths of light/rays that are not visible to our eyes. Weather-wise we can expect a perfect night to observe the Northern Lights. A cold front swept across our area and scattered the few remaining cumulus clouds. This front will also moderate the strong humidity we have been experiencing, providing clear skies and optimal viewing conditions. On Mother’s Day we’ll start the day mild in the lower 70s with mostly clear skies. Due to lower humidity, skies will remain mostly clear throughout the day. However, it is still expected to be quite roasted. The forecast highs for tomorrow will be in the mid 90s. Next week we will look for occasional showers as moist air returns. Temperatures will continue to be quite warm in the 90s through next weekend.

As we prepare for Mother’s Day, we are excited to announce a truly rare treat: Northern Lights! This heavenly spectacle that we were able to witness on Friday evening is a sight to behold. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Space Weather Prediction Center are predicting a Category 4 storm, possibly escalating to Force 5 at times, promising a breathtaking spectacle.

Geomagnetic storms are rated 1 to 5 in intensity on the “G” scale. It would have to be at least a Category 5 storm to see the lights here in Southwest Florida. Keep in mind that this is not guaranteed, as predicting the Aurora Borealis is extremely difficult as solar winds travel at speeds of over 1 million miles per hour and come from the Sun, over 93 million miles away. However, even if we have a chance to reach G5, you should take the opportunity as it is extremely rare. Before yesterday, we hadn’t experienced a G5 storm since 2003.

To see the lights, look toward the northern horizon, preferably from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. or before sunrise. You can increase your chances of capturing the lights by using a camera. Yes, your phone’s camera works, especially when you set a long exposure. Cameras can detect wavelengths of light/rays that are not visible to our eyes.

Weather-wise we can expect a perfect night to observe the Northern Lights. A cold front swept across our area, dispersing the few remaining cumulus clouds. This front will also moderate the high humidity we have been experiencing, providing clear skies and optimal viewing conditions.

On Mother’s Day we’ll start the day mild in the lower 70s with mostly clear skies. Due to lower humidity, skies will remain mostly clear throughout the day. However, it is still expected to be quite roasted. The forecast highs for tomorrow will be in the mid 90s.

Next week we will look for occasional showers as moist air returns. Temperatures will continue to be quite warm in the 90s through next weekend.