COOLER TEMPS, STORMS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND
But forecasters aren’t predicting a major cool-down this late in season.
Winter lobs another cool front toward Florida this weekend, promising an uptick in showers tonight through Monday.
But this late in the season, forecasters aren’t expecting a drastic dip in temperatures. Daytime highs are predicted to hover near 80 degrees through at least Wednesday, with sultry overnights in the low 70s and high 60s.
The slow-moving low-pressure system responsible for the front is plodding through the Gulf Coast states today and won’t be off the coast and into the Atlantic until Tuesday. That means there could be some cooler air behind it with north winds, but meteorologist James Thomas said it’s too early to be sure.
“Cold fronts tend to modify this time of year and aren’t as potent as during the winter,” said Thomas, with the National Weather Service in Miami. “They just aren’t as potent.”
Today’s rain chances are 40 percent, but a bigger washout threatens Sunday with up to a 70 percent chance of rain.
Rain totals through Tuesday could tally as much as 2 inches in northern coastal Palm Beach County, with 1 to 1.75 inches in the south and west.
While two hefty bouts of rain have hit South Florida this month, the U.S. Drought Monitor continues to show
all of Palm Beach County in a moderate drought, with portions of Broward and MiamiDade in severe drought.
Most of Palm Beach County has received about 60 percent of normal rainfall since Jan. 1. That leaves it at a 4.4inch deficit through mid-April.
In the 16-county region overseen by the South Florida Water Management District, just 48 percent of normal rain amounts has fallen, leaving it with an average deficit of 4.3 inches.
Thomas said thunderstorms are possible Sunday, with showers that could linger through the day and into Monday, which has a 60 percent chance of rain.
“This won’t be just a couple showers,” Thomas said. “It will be widespread rainfall and longer lasting than what we have been seeing recently.”
The National Weather Service has issued a high risk of rip currents for today and Sunday, falling to moderate Monday.