Strong winds are back. The gusty conditions will peak on Thursday afternoon before gradually subsiding by the start of the weekend. The sometimes sudden gusts, swaying palm trees, and rattling holiday lights are the result of distant high pressure which recently intensified. The center of the high is over New England, building down the eastern seaboard. South Florida is at the base of the high pressure flow with clockwise winds coming in from the Atlantic Ocean. Impacts from this pattern include higher seas and rough boating conditions. A Small Craft Advisory remains in place until early Friday morning.
There’s a bit more moisture arriving on this strong wind flow. “Future radar” is indicating fast-moving rain bands heading toward the Keys and across the general region, both Thursday and Friday.
A veer in the wind direction, expected on Friday, will turn winds out of the southeast. As a result, temperatures will notch-up a couple degrees.
Looking ahead at the weekend and beyond, our rain chance drops slightly (while temperatures rise into the lower to middle 80’s). That means 2018 will end on a warm note! By the way, the holiday forecast for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day seems fine with quiet weather expected.
