Dangerous cold air — the coldest in about 15 years — is forecast to affect South Florida this weekend, making for a very cold end to January and start to February.
This cold air will be making a big trek across North America, originating from the Arctic Circle!
Before we get there, temperatures will actually turn milder Thursday night as an onshore breeze works into the coast while increasing clouds acts as a blanket, trapping some of the heat from the daylight hours of Thursday.
Expect widespread lows to be closer to normal, reaching the upper 50s to low 60s.
The aforementioned clouds will become thick enough to produce showers late tonight across the Florida Keys, and then eventually reaching mainland South Florida during the day Friday.
As a result, Friday will be a damp and dreary day with mostly cloudy skies and periods of light rain. This will hold highs down to the mid to upper 60s.
Then on Saturday, the long-awaited, Arctic cold front arrives. Along that front will be a period of showers and downpours during the morning or midday hours, followed by gradually clearing clouds and whipping winds.
Winds will be the most notable feature of the day Saturday, especially late, when winds will gust up to 40-50 mph for many locations!
With that strong, northwest wind in place Saturday night, that will help temperatures plummet but also make it feel even colder.
That will make for a very cold Sunday morning with widespread lows in the mid to upper 30s and feels-like temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. Miami is even forecast to tie its record low of 36F set back in 1909!
Freezing temperatures will even be possible for the inland and rural portions of Miami-Dade and Broward.
During the day Sunday, temperatures will struggle to heat up with highs only in the 50s and wind chills staying stuck in the 40s.
We’ll then see those temperatures drop back down to similar levels Sunday night into Monday morning with record temperatures possible in Fort Lauderdale and Key West.
Beyond then, temperatures will gradually rise through Thursday until another cold front may arrive.
