A gusty wind is in the forecast today with local Suncoast impacts

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A high-pressure area to our south has been bringing a somewhat consistent south to southwest wind, sunny skies, and warm rain free days.

A pattern change is about to take place that will alter all but one of those characteristics. This will be due to an approaching cold front at will chip away at the high and push it eastward, away from Florida. The cold front is tied to an area of low pressure that will rapidly move from the Deep South to the Northeast and pull most of the weather producing energy away from the front itself, so the expected changes in our weather will be somewhat tame.

Today the proximity of the cold front to the high to our south will cause elevated winds across the Suncoast. Late morning and afternoon winds will have a potential to gust to 35-40 mph out of the southwest.

During times of red tide, such winds can cause droplets of the algae toxins to become airborne and increase the impacts of the respiratory irritation. The current forecast is for some areas to experience moderate to high impacts of respiratory irritation. While the winds will die down tomorrow, the important southwest wind direction will not likely shift until the cold front has passed by on late Sunday.

Additionally, there will be a few more clouds in the sky and we can’t rule out the small possibility for a passing shower or very isolated thunderstorm over the weekend. There is even a hint in the guidance that some upper level disturbances could swing by and keep minor rain chances in the forecast into next work week.

The good news is that as high pressure builds into the Gulf waters next week, our winds will shift to the southeast. That wind direction is good news for those who suffer from the red tide irritation. A southeast wind will serve to blow the toxins back out into the Gulf waters and help clear the air.

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