Did the Miami tourism bureau pray for this weather? When will the heat return?
.JPG "If you’re sitting on the beach at night or early in the morning, and you probably won’t be, you may want to bundle up as temperatures will dip into the upper 60s in South Florida for a week, beginning Dec. 8, 2022. But mild and seasonal temperatures with highs in the low 80s will be the norm with sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service forecast.")
Florida tourism officials love to tell prospective tourists — and residents who sometimes question why they want to live here — how gorgeous the weather is here in December.
And, given the forecast for the weekend and beyond, this is the kind of week they’d promote.
“Gorgeous,” the National Weather Service in Miami touted Thursday morning. “Comfortable temperatures and sunny skies.”
OK, there was that little bit about the risk of rip currents at Atlantic beaches — a high risk in Palm Beach County, moderate in Miami-Dade and Broward — owing to onshore winds. Some patchy fog could happen overnight and into Friday morning commuters, too.
Otherwise, a great week to be out and about. “It’s going to be pretty mild, much more pleasant temperatures than we’ve kind of had over the past few weeks where we did have some close-to or record highs,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Shawn Bhatti.
Expect temperatures in the low 80s, maybe even upper 70s as maximums for at least a week into next Thursday. “Maybe a little lower along the coast since we’ll have some kind of north, northeast flow,” Bhatti said.
Low temperatures are expected to dip to upper 60s, low 70s in South Florida and cooler further inland and western fringe where it could chill out in the low- to mid-60s.
“Seasonal temps,” he said.
“Maybe a few quick-moving showers off the Atlantic waters but pretty quiet, benign, the next few days here,” Bhatti said.
The pattern should hold for a week, with a possible slight warming trend and more humidity before next weekend into the mid-80s, but it’s a bit early to detail how warm it could climb, Bhatti said. Showers and storm activity could tick up by that point but the radar still looks pretty dry overall, he noted. “Nothing too out of the ordinary.”
Other Florida destinations
▪ Florida Keys. Expect a week with highs just under 80 and lows around 73 degrees for a week with minimal rain chance, just 10% Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the weather service in Key West.
▪ Orlando. You’re looking at about a 20-degree spread throughout the day for a week. Highs about 80, lows at 60 or just above. Sunny, with patchy fog Thursday night and Friday morning, similar to Miami.
▪ Tampa Bay. Highs around 80, lows in upper 60s. Sunny and no weather worries.
▪ Southwest Florida. “A stronger front will try to sweep across Southwest Florida late next week,” said WINK News meteorologist Matt Devitt on Twitter. The American and European models suggest potential 40s and 50s across Southwest Florida by Sunday, Dec. 18.
▪ Gainesville. The college town may actually be a warmer spot, with a high of 82 forecast for Thursday and Friday. But the lows are cooler, around 56 degrees. Partly cloudy and patch fog mornings through Saturday. Highs dip to upper 70s and lows remain in the mid-50s through the week.
This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 1:34 PM.
