Near Record Highs Sunday & Monday - Cold Front Late Monday

"This Weekend is to Dawn with a Warm Light"

TODAY THROUGH MONDAY: High pressure of the season continues to provide for an unusually start to celestial winter which begins today, 12/21 at 12:11PM EDT as the earths most southern possible latitude will be aligned with the sun along the Tropic of Capricorn. Inland temperatures into the low-mid 80Fs which immediate beach-sides around 79F- 82F. No rain and mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies at times with plenty of sunshine. Predawn satellite imagery shows virtually cloud free skies except a few clouds North Florida.

A strong storm system is taking shape today through tomorrow to impact parts of Eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama with severe storms with strong straight line winds and possible tornadoes. A broader expanse to the north with heavier rain (ice storm in progress in Oklahoma right now). This system will enter North Florida and into Central Florida as we progress into Monday late. This system could affect the Panhandle toward other parts of North Florida north of I4 mainly in regard to 'stronger' weather.

MONDAY: Wind SSW-S at 15mph and very warm, again, near possible record high temperatures (and again near record overnight warm minimums near the beaches) especially near the east coast in the absence of the sea breeze in the early to mid afternoon. Possible showers and thunderstorms late Monday Central to South Florida after 3pm through early-mid evening, but this has wavered back and forth from none to some with each model run.

MONDAY/ TUESDAY/December 23rd -24th: The front is expected to pass across Central Florida between late afternoon through 2AM from north to south and could be across Central direct in the 10pm to 1AM time frame. There is expected to be some post-frontal cloud cover and rains mainly along and north of I4 which could extend into the areas further south as the upper level support for such conditions will be pulling out to the east and northeast during the day. 

"The front is expected to pass across Central Florida between late afternoon through 2AM from north to south and could be across Central direct in the 10pm to 1AM time frame. "

Christmas Eve Day should or could start out mostly cloudy but with rapid clearing during the early through mid afternoon from north to south as the secondary moisture band associated with the lagging mid level trough (the front aloft) glides south. Winds becoming northerly and breeze Christmas Eve day through evening but nothing terribly unusual. Overnight lows at the Coast Christmas Eve from the Cape and south will remain in the lower 60Fs but much cooler toward the west side of the state and interior as well as North Florida. This has been the pattern since 'cold spells began' for meteorological winter (December 1st) this year, and that story has not changed nor does it appear will change for some time to come. The short of it is, apparently conditions will be marvelous cloud and temperature wise by and before Sunset for folks north of a Vero Beach to Sarasota line, though wind might be a small issue. 

CHRISTMAS DAY: ENE winds with highs in the mid-upper 60Fs; could be quite a bit of Atlantic stratocumulus clouds developing which might make it feel a bit cooler. Winds will be calming down slowly during the day and into the next though, from the ENE-east.

"A Lone Palm stands Tall against falling Darkness
 in the Light of a New Day" 

BEYOND/2014: Possible turbulent times ahead. The front will lay low near the Florida Straits and make an attempt to work back north (South Florida to South Central in such case might see more rain), but the bigger concern is the time frame from late December 30th through January 3rd 2014. This is too far out in time for model accuracy, though for example and in general 3 out of 4 daily GFS model runs have shown this time frame to be a sticky one for several days now. Possible low forming over the warmer Loop Current waters of the eastern Gulf to move across North Florida. Details should follow in this regard in forthcoming updates and as such,  will become evident by what is announced on local TV and radio networks after Christmas as we head to the New Year time frame.