ORLANDO, Fla. – TODAY:

Election Day is here and it’s a hot and muggy start to the day.

Temperatures will remain above normal today, with highs in the mid-80s for both coastal and inland areas.

As our eastward flow continues, intermittent showers will be possible today. Plan for a 30-40% chance of rain, the best chance is near the coast.

Some of these showers will be heavier, so it’s a good idea to have your rain jacket handy. Winds will also be a bit gusty, reaching speeds of 20-25 mph.

THIS WEEK:

Wednesday is FOX 35 Weather Impact Day as Tropical Storm Raphael heads northwestern Florida into the Gulf of Mexico.

This will help keep scattered showers, winds greater than 35 mph and a low risk of tornadoes.

The best chance of these impacts will be for our western counties. The effects may last until the early hours of Thursday.

The chances of precipitation will decrease towards the end of the week and highs will remain above normal.

TROPICS:

Tropical Storm Raphael will continue to strengthen over the very warm Caribbean over the next 24-36 hours, where it will reach category 1 strength.

According to the current forecast, it will move over Cuba and move away from Florida towards the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

It will encounter a much less favorable environment, with colder waters and high levels of wind shear. This will prevent the storm from organizing and strengthening further, eventually strengthening into a Tropical Storm before approaching landfall, which looks set to happen off the coast of Louisiana.