South Floridians and tourists who found themselves awash in record weekend rains can expect kinder, gentler weather conditions over the next five days with a touch of a night-time chill but daily rising temperatures ranging into the high 70s, a National Weather Service forecaster said Monday.
It’s a significant turnaround from the abusive Sunday storm that flooded countless streets, knocked over trees, and spawned four tornadoes along a path that started in southern Miami-Dade County and affected the Broward County cities of Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Plantation and Oakland Park.
“It looks like there was circulation that developed in Miami-Dade County, near Eighth Street and Krome Avenue,” said Sammy Hadi, a forecaster for the National Weather Service.
Four tornadoes that affected those areas between slightly before 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, according to the service’s X social media account.
The reports of multiple funnels came after survey teams spent much of the day inspecting the region for damage. The worst of it appeared to occur in Oakland Park, where several cars were reportedly flipped over. The other areas saw the impact ranging from damage to minor vegetation to the uprooting of large trees and severed branches.
Only two of the four tornadoes were rated. Both were classified as EF0 funnels, which at 65 to 85 mph pack the lowest wind speeds on the five-level Enhanced Fujita Scale. The top-end EF5s carry winds exceeding 200 mph.
Record rainfalls — certainly not of the sort that inundated Broward last April when more than two feet of rain fell within hours — were set at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and at Palm Beach International Airport, the forecaster said.
At the Fort Lauderdale airport, 2.23 inches fell Sunday surpassing a record of 1.54 inches in 1994; at the West Palm Beach airport, 2.74 inches fell, easily beating a long-standing record of 1.6 inches set in 1920.
“The biggest weather story will be comfortable temps, cool mornings in the 50s and quiet weather patterns,” Hadi said as blue skies started to make an appearance early Monday afternoon.
After the rains pummeled the region, South Floridians awoke to a Presidents’ Day chill on Monday as the mercury slipped below 50 degrees overnight in many area cities and forced early rising joggers, walkers and bicyclists to reach into their closets for hoodies and other long-sleeve attire.
The weather service said there will be more of the same for the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with a “breezy northerly flow” of air that “will lead to cooler temperatures” in the tri-county region.
“Minimum apparent temperatures are expected to reach the upper 40s to low 50s for eastern metro areas, low to mid 40s for inland locations and upper 30s to low 40s around Lake Okeechobee,” the service said in a Monday advisory.
Shoppers who hit the central business districts and shopping malls to take advantage of the wide array of Presidents Day sales enjoyed a warming trend as the day progressed, as high temperatures rose into the upper 60s “with mainly dry conditions,” the weather service said.
On Tuesday, skies will be sunny with the high reaching 74 degrees and a low of around 54 degrees.
Gusting winds, Key West rescue
Although the rains moved on, the windy conditions and choppy surf conditions have not.
Rip currents are expected all along coastal Palm Beach County between mid-afternoon Monday and early Tuesday evening, according to the weather service website. High surf was expected to be in play from Boca Raton to Miami until 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Around midday Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard reported on its social media account X that its Key West crew rescued two people from a vessel that was sinking near Key West Bight.
“The survivors were transferred to shore in good health,” the Coast Guard said. “The vessel sank and is not deemed a hazard to navigation. ComSal will conduct salvage efforts.”
