High winds blowing through South Florida all weekend are expected to diminish starting Sunday night, with hotter weather returning early Monday, National Weather Service forecasters say.
The winds, measuring gusts up to 32 mph on Saturday, are not a direct result of Hurricane Melissa, which reached Category 4 status Sunday as it neared Jamaica and Cuba. Rather, the windy conditions are more related to pressure from a stationary cold front that hung around South Florida all weekend, said NWS Miami Meteorologist Krizia Negron.
Despite Melissa’s size, the perimeter of the storm is not near South Florida, she said.
The front is expected to lift by Sunday night, ushering in hotter temperatures that are forecast to last until mid week, Negron said.
“It will still be a little breezy, but nothing compared to what we had this weekend,” said Negron.
The good news: South Florida should start feeling some real relief from the heat as the week progresses. While Monday is expected to feel highs near 90 degrees Fahrenheit, those temps will start falling by Wednesday, and by Friday, the highs may not even make 80, Negron said.