A new season is about to begin. It’s winter, of course, and it officially begins on Thursday (just before the noon hour). This is when the “winter solstice” takes place. The significance of this event involves the sun shining directly over the Tropic of Capricorn marking the shortest day of 2017 for the entire Northern Hemisphere. After the start of winter, the daylight period will gradually grow into the weeks and months ahead. As for “feeling like winter” south Florida will be the exception to the rule. While the rest of the nation deals with an accompanying chill of winter, we remain mild to warm. The current forecast calls for more above average warmth from now through Christmas. Then, a weak cold front will cross and our local temperatures will drop slightly (about 5 degrees). All told, no significant weather changes are expected over the next week. That means there’s plenty of dry time and more clear and quiet conditions, even after the onset of winter!