Wet and cool after record heat

South Florida heat breaks late October records

Warmer-than-usual weather is forecast Tuesday followed by a breezy cool down later in the week.

Chances of showers and scattered thunderstorms are forecast to steadily increase daily from 20% on Tuesday to 40% on Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

“Rain chances will begin to increase as a cold front approaches South Florida midweek,” forecasters said.

We should begin feeling the effects of that cold front, accompanied by light northeasterly winds, by Wednesday morning, the weather service said Monday.

Sunday saw freakishly high temperatures even by South Florida standards, so much so that longtime heat records were broken, according to the weather service.

In both Miami and Fort Lauderdale, the high reached 92 degrees, breaking records by 1 degree for both cities for that date.

Fort Lauderdale’s previous record high of 91 was set in 1995 and Miami’s was set in 1910.

Fort Lauderdale’s normal high temperature for October is 85, while Miami’s is 86.

The record heat came as high pressure built in South Florida after Tropical Storm Nestor swept across northern Florida over the weekend, according to Sun Sentinel news partner WPEC-CBS12.

The high pressure means little cloud cover, dry air and a low chance of rain.

But some relief appears to be on the way.

“Long-range model solutions continue to suggest increasing rain chances for the middle of the week as the next cold front approaches South Florida,” the weather service said.

This is South Florida, so the term “cold front” is relative. Instead of highs in the high 80s or low 90s, the thermometer is expected to fall to highs in the mid-80s. So, slightly less hot — but not even remotely cold.

The so-called cold front will cause increasing winds and waves.

By Friday, a warm front is forecast to lift northward across South Florida, leading to an additional day of unsettled weather and breeziness across the region, the weather service said.

During the weekend, South Florida will likely experience scattered showers and easterly winds.

CARLINE JEAN/SUN SENTINEL Sisters Madison Benson, 9, and Megan Benson, 21, of Pompano Beach, cool down in the Interactive Fountain in Pompano Beach on Monday. Temperatures are at a record high for October, according to the National Weather Service.