S. Florida getting back to summerlike weather

After a miserable stretch of rain, flooding and beach erosion from the effects of what was Subtropical Storm Alberto, South Florida is returning to a more typical weather pattern, just in time for hurricane season, which starts Friday.

But there was an event serving as a reminder that severe weather is always a possibility in South Florida. A tornado briefly touched down in Homestead, in southwest Miami-Dade on Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said.

The EF0 (65 to 85 mph winds) tornado touched down about 8 p.m. in the Leisure City community and was on the ground for about three minutes, causing some minor property damage, the weather service said.

The agency released pictures Wednesday showing some properties with debris and panels blown off at least one structure.

As for South Florida’s forecast, today will see a mix of sun and clouds, temperatures near the mid-80s and a 40 to 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms — mostly during the afternoon hours, the weather service said.

Conditions improve significantly on Friday when the chance of rain drops to just 20 percent.

The rain chance on Saturday and Sunday stands at 30 percent.

South Florida was never in the direct path of Alberto, but the subtropical system dumped several inches of rain across parts of the region, leading to street flooding and swollen lakes and canals.

Alberto is currently a tropical depression making its way across western Kentucky and bringing with it the chance for heavy rains and flash floods.