First, there’s near record heat. Then comes the weekend chill. How cold will Miami get?
Miami may realize we can have seasons after all.
Following a week or more of dry warm weather, rains drenched Miami Tuesday afternoon and evening. And Wednesday flirted with near record-high temperatures.
On Friday, you can expect to wake up to a chill 58 or 59 around 6 a.m.
A cold front is on the way in time for the weekend, said CBS News Miami meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez. She’s forecasting 59 Friday morning when the normal low for a Feb. 21 in Miami is 64.
Kendall could feel even cooler at 56. Homestead is looking at 58. Fort Lauderdale, 57.
Highs should only reach the mid-70s Friday — about 74, she said on a comparatively steamy Wednesday. “The warmest day of the week,” she said, citing highs around 85 in Miami, 84 in Fort Lauderdale and 82 in Key West.
First, how hot is South Florida?
“So hot, we’re flirting with near record highs,” Gonzalez added.
A heat index of 91, added Brian McNoldy, a University of Miami senior research associate. “It feels more like May 19 out there rather than February 19!” he posted on Facebook around noon Wednesday.
Records to beat: These were the hottest Feb. 19 dates in recent history: Miami melted at 87 in 1982. Fort Lauderdale fried at 88 in 2017 and Key West withered at 85 in 2020.
Thursday will be mild with a high of 80 and low of 70.
Then comes the chill
The coolest stretch should be 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday, with temperatures in the upper-50s in Miami, according to Weather Underground. By 1 p.m., a high of 74 is forecast. Key West will dip to 66 in the morning pre-rush hour and rise to 73 by 3 p.m. Friday.
Saturday and Sunday mornings and evenings will dip to the upper-60s and afternoon weekend highs are expected around 75.
Fort Lauderdale looks to be about the same weekend high and lows.
South Florida rain chances bump from 20% on Thursday and negligible on Friday and Saturday to 30% on Sunday and Monday, according to the weather service. Key West has a somewhat higher rain chance at 40% Sunday.
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
The popular South Beach Wine & Food Festival runs Thursday through Sunday and features more than 100 culinary events around Miami Beach and Miami — many of which, like Thursday night’s Burger Bash and the tented Grand Tasting Village off Ocean Drive, are outdoors.
At Thursday evening’s Burger Bash — where the dress code on the sands is “polished yet relaxed,” according to festival organizers, look for 14 mph winds from the north-northeast under cloudy but dry skies and a piquant 69 degrees.
Winds on South Beach will be around 16 and 17 mph from the northeast Friday afternoon into the evening; east-northeast at 15 mph Saturday and an easterly 8 mph on Sunday with a 20% rain chance after 5 p.m., according to Weather Underground.
Dolphins Cancer Challenge
Saturday’s 15th annual Dolphins Cancer Challenge at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium runs under partly cloudy skies from the early morning until 4 p.m.
Participants can expect temperatures at 65 degrees with winds from the east-northeast at 7 mph for the start of events at 5 a.m. Winds and temperatures peak around 11 a.m. at 14 mph from the east and 74 degrees, respectively.
Rip current risk
An elevated risk of rip currents makes boating conditions sketchy as the cold front starts slipping through on Thursday, the National Weather Service in Miami said. The high risk alert applies to coastal Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach county beaches and runs Friday morning to Saturday morning
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 4:40 PM.
