A weakening cold front was able to make it as far south as the Florida Keys before putting on the brakes and stalling out. The “now stationary” boundary is staying draped over the region leading to plenty of clouds to start the week. Sunshine isn’t likely to have much success even as the week continues. The reason? The very same pesky front is expected to stay intact which could result in damp weather conditions.
Here’s a check on rain chances through the week. Believe it or not, we’re actually in the south Florida dry season (the wet season ended on October 15). Wetter than average conditions will remain the rule at least until the upcoming weekend. Along with the lingering front near us, we’ll also have batches of showers arriving off the ocean.
On the weather map, you can clearly see that south Florida is in a holding pattern. One of the minor changes we’ll see includes weakening high pressure over the western Atlantic Ocean. What’s the net effect of that? Local wind speeds will start coming down by midweek. Still, the threat of rip currents will continue for all Atlantic beaches. Boating conditions will only gradually improve as the wind and seas settle back.
The late week pattern could turn quite interesting across Florida and the region. We’ll be watching an area of low pressure moving eastward across the Gulf of Mexico. As the low eventually emerges into the Atlantic, our “next cold front” will be forced southward. Ahead of it, moisture and instability will be at the highest levels of the week from Friday into Saturday. Then, the long range forecast models show a decisive southward dip in both the jet stream and a Florida cold front. That could bring some rare cooling with possible lows in the 60’s by early next week. By the way, we haven’t seen thermometers register below the 70-degree threshold in nearly 6 months! This graphic shows the last time in Miami was back on May 15 while Ft. Lauderdale even goes back to April 29!
