Slow warm-up starts today

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - It was a very chilly start to the day, thanks to the cold front that moved past yesterday. Temperatures across the area dipped into the 40s.

A breezy north wind brought cold and dry air to the Suncoast and, when combined with the elevated wind speeds, made it feel even cooler than it was. We will start to warm things up a bit today but it will be a slow process. Expect the breezy conditions to continue and the high this afternoon to only be a few degrees warmer.

However, an important change to our pattern will begin today that will make the transition to warmer weather accelerate tomorrow. We will see the winds turning more easterly today and eventually due east over the weekend. This will cut off the drainage of cold air and allow the temperature of the ground-level atmosphere to modify in the days to come.

By Sunday, the winds will shift to the southeast and quickly replace the cool air with a warmer wind flow. Afternoon high temperatures will climb to the near 80-degree range. Moisture will slowly increase as well and this will keep nighttime lows warmer.

There may be a slight chance for a light shower early next week as a system moves through the deep south. However, computer models show the heaviest and strongest storms are well to the north of us and therefore the system should have a limited impact.