This is the weekend forecast, and it’s the most important one of the week, because this is the forecast you plan your life around.
Fall’s first front is on its way. Today is our last taste of summer here, hot and humid, with a high near 88, a heat index near 100, and scattered storms this afternoon. The front reaches us overnight and crosses Saturday morning, with showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before lunch.
Summer one day, fall the next
Here’s what I’m watching: how fast the cool, dry air wins. Once the front clears Saturday morning, the wind swings north, and Saturday tops out near 82. Saturday night, lows drop into the mid-60s. Sunday is mostly sunny, near 80, and windy, and that cooler air sticks around all next week. That’s the classic October setup in Florida: summer one day, fall the next.
Behind the front, the wind is the story
Behind the front, the wind is the story. North to northeast winds pick up Saturday night, with gusts near 30 mph on land Sunday. On the water, winds build to advisory levels Saturday and could reach gale force Sunday and Monday, with seas over ten feet. If you’re headed to the water this weekend, think twice. And behind all of it, the Gulf is dead quiet, no tropical development expected for at least a week. A breather, after Isaias.
Today’s forecast, tomorrow’s Lab
This weekend forecast is the here and now, and the science behind it is good. But imagine aiming the best science and technology on the planet at our most serious events. That’s the Living Laboratory for Coastal Resilience, ten miles of Sarasota Bay as a working prototype, and the CAC unveils it on November 12th at Selby Auditorium. The weekend forecast is what we can do today. The Lab is what comes next.
So is this the front that finally breaks summer for good, or will the heat sneak back before Halloween?
The Bunting Brief is Bob Bunting’s short-form series on the weather and climate forces shaping Florida’s Gulf Coast.
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