Florida
Why has Central Florida been getting so much rain lately?
ORLANDO, Fla. – Yes, there’s a rainy season for Central Florida. Climatologically, the rainy season begins in late May and lasts through the middle of October and it can vary year to year. The summer heat, humidity and seabreezes (which are differences in temperatures between the ocean waters and land) make up the perfect recipe for thunderstorms to develop across east Central Florida.
Lately, we’ve been seeing daily thunderstorms produce heavy rain, which has led to flooding in a few areas and strong gusty winds with other modes of storm threats. Well, it’s actually typical and expected for this time of the year.
Rainy season for east Central Florida began in late May, and it lasts through the middle of October. But what’s also interesting is that we’ve been stuck under a very unusual weather pattern for the last several days.
An upper-level low has been stuck north of the area with a cold front which has been stalling out now and again. This type of weather setup helps thunderstorm development and it keeps our weather pattern unsettled.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
A combination of the sea breezes, hot-and-humid air and that upper-level low has been resulting in thunderstorms continuing to fire up daily.
During the summer months, cold fronts come to a halt in our area. With little to no cold front moving through, the sea breezes continue to increase the moisture in the atmosphere. So when thunderstorms get going, there’s plenty of moisture for the storms to tap into to produce heavy rain.
While nuisance flooding has been happening lately in a few areas, one county has been dealing with the relentless rain for the past several days and saw record rainfall a few days ago. Ocala picked up 4.39 inches of rainfall on Tuesday, which was record-breaking.
That amount of rain and the daily rainfall prior led to major flooding problems in that area. Marion County has been under a Flood Watch for the past couple of days due to the daily heavy rainfall.
Other counties across Central Florida have also been dealing with nuisance street flooding in the past couple of days. Some spots were picking up a couple of inches daily. In the past 12 hours, some areas picked up between 1-2 inches, according to the radar.
With more than 50 years of rainfall data collected by the National Weather Service, it has been determined that the median date for the rainy season for a few cities is as follows.
The end of the wet season for Orlando and Daytona Beach is Oct. 15. The end of the rainy season for Melbourne and Vero Beach is Oct. 17.
Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
Florida
Snowcat Ridge returns with Florida’s winter wonderland for holiday season
DADE CITY, Fla. – Looking for a winter wonderland that isn’t too far from home? Snowcat Ridge in Dade City officially opens for the season on Friday.
Despite the state’s tropical landscape, Snowcat Ridge brings a unique alpine snow park and gives visitors a chance to experience snow and winter activities without leaving Florida.
The park’s centerpiece is a massive 60-foot-tall snow tubing hill with runs extending up to 400 feet, where families can zoom down on tubes while surrounded by snow.
READ: Top destinations people dream of traveling to for the holidays
“So this year, what we really wanted to do was focus on what people said they enjoy most—the Christmas aspects of the park. So I said, ‘okay, let’s really do the Christmas thing,’” said Winston McDaniel with Snowcat Ridge.
Guests can also build snowmen, create snow angels and engage in snowball play inside the park’s 10,000-square-foot Arctic Igloo. The facility also has cutting edge snow-making technology to maintain snowy conditions.
There’s also a cozy lodge for guests to grab hot chocolate and winter treats.
“It’s just about really doubling down on what it means to spend family time here at Christmas,” said McDaniel.
MORE: After 112 years, ‘Operation Santa’ still accepting letters
In the evening, the slopes at Snowcat Ridge transform into a colorful LED light display, illuminating the snow and creating an unforgettable atmosphere for guests.
For more information on the park and its hours of operation, visit snowcatridge.com.
WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Florida
Florida man charged with plotting to bomb New York Stock Exchange
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Florida
‘I feel like Bin Laden,’ Florida man arrested by FBI for planning to bomb NYSE to 'reboot' US government
A Florida man has been arrested and charged in connection with a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange in an effort to “reboot” the US government, according to the FBI.
Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, 30, from Coral Springs, Florida, was charged with attempting to use an explosive device to damage or destroy a building involved in interstate commerce.
The FBI began investigating Yener in February after receiving a tip that he was storing materials related to bomb-making in a storage unit. Agents searched the area after obtaining a search warrant. They found “bomb-making sketches, numerous watches with timers electronic circuit boards and other electronics that can be utilised to build bombs.
According to the FBI, Yener had also been conducting online searches about bomb-making since 2017.
In March, Yener admitted to authorities during questioning that he had knowledge of making “rockets” and “bombs” and had previously tried to join a “domestic extremist group.” He also revealed that in 2015, he had considered travelling to Iraq to join ISIS but ultimately decided against it because he doubted the group’s ability to meet its objectives.
Yener allegedly told undercover FBI agents that he planned to detonate the bomb during the week before Thanksgiving, targeting the New York Stock Exchange in lower Manhattan. Court documents state that his goal was to “reboot” the US government.
‘I feel like Bin Laden’
“There is one place that would be hella easy… the stock exchange, that would be a great hit. Tons of people would support it. They would see it and think dude, this guy makes sense, they are [profanity] robbing us. So that’s perfect,” he told the agent.
“I feel like Bin Laden,” he told the undercover agent.
Weeks before his arrest, Yener had modified two-way radios to function as remote triggers for explosives. He also planned to wear a disguise while planting the device, according to court filings.
Yener appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon, where it was decided he would remain in custody while awaiting trial.
(With inputs from agencies)
-
Business1 week ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health1 week ago
Bird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business5 days ago
Column: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
World1 week ago
Sarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Politics4 days ago
Trump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Science2 days ago
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Technology3 days ago
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle4 days ago
Some in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs