A windy weekend is in progress, south Florida. Wind speeds are noticeably higher near the coast and that’s creating beach (and boating) hazards that remain in place. If you’re heading to the beach on Sunday, be aware that there’s a high risk of rip currents. Swim only at guarded beaches, or just stay on the sand, in order to minimize the risk. Boaters also need to know that rough seas are a concern, which is why a Small Craft Advisory is in effect.
The gusty coastal conditions are due to a distant (and sprawling) high pressure area. It’s centered off the Middle Atlantic states and we’re at the southern base of it experiencing the onshore winds. Overall, the conditions will improve as early as Monday. Then, calmer times will actually carry us through the entire week ahead!
Unlike some recent weeks, this one WON’T include a front settling south (unless it happens at the very tail end of the week). The next several days will simply involve a “blocking pattern” that keeps things quiet. Rain chances remain very low, as you’d expect this time of the year. However, since we still have an onshore flow, it’s not 100% guaranteed to be dry. A small shower could still wander in from the ocean waters, but it wouldn’t amount to much.
As January comes to a close (after Tuesday) you may be interested to know that only 5 days were “cooler than average” all month long! Are you wondering if February looks stubbornly warm, as well? At this point, we know February will start very warm, running between 5 and 10-degrees above what’s typical. We could even get close to record high temperatures around the 1st or 2nd day of the upcoming new month! The warmth will happen as our air flow begins to veer more out of the south. That will likely take our future afternoon’s into the lower and middle 80’s, soon. Also, nighttime lows will be above 70-degrees while it will probably feel more muggy by Thursday and Friday. Some of our longer range forecast models hint at a weak front finally approaching by next weekend. It’s too early to get a clear reading on whether it’ll bring any noticeable cooling or trigger showers. Stay tuned.