For south Florida, it was our first “brush with the tropics” so far this season. The brush was sudden and short-lived. Tropical Storm Gordon formed early on Labor Day morning originating close to the Upper Keys. As the holiday unfolded, we were faced with drenching downpours and strong gusty winds. Both peaked during the morning and early afternoon hours. Wind speeds have since come down as Gordon drifted away from our region. Even though south Florida will no longer experience any direct impacts from Gordon, other Gulf coast states will need to monitor its path over the next couple of days. It’s possible that the system could even reach hurricane strength prior to reaching the Upper Gulf coast somewhere from the coast of Louisiana, to Mississippi or Alabama. Meanwhile, our local weather will revert back to typical late summer conditions. That means hotter feeling temperatures, the return of some sunshine (beginning Tuesday) and periodic showers. High pressure will continue rebuilding and the onshore flow could send us a few downpours from the Atlantic. Rains will likely be brief, and no longer associated with the tropics.