Backdoor cold front will make its way past us today

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A backdoor cold front is so named because it approaches front the opposite direction of most cold front. Usually they arrive by sinking southeast from the northwest.

However, today the cold front will approach from the northeast and sink toward the southwest. Behind the front is an area of high pressure that will direct our winds out of the northeast and draw down some drier air. The front will not have much cooler air and only drop our high temperatures by a few degrees starting tomorrow.

Although the drier air will be noticeable and feel nice, perhaps the more important impact will be the shift in winds to the northeast. This wind direction is usually favorable for reducing impacts of the irritation caused by red tide toxins. As the front sinks into our area, a shower or two near the coast during the evening hours will be possible.

Another cold front will approach on Saturday and cause winds in advance of its passage to shift back to the southwest Friday. Once the front is past on Saturday, the winds will shift back to the northeast and bring in another shot of drier and cooler air for Sunday. The impact of the these two fronts will be to keep the highs in the lower 80s, as opposed to the mid-to-upper 80s we will see today.

The strongest front arrives Monday evening with a good chance for some showers. This front has the potential to drop our highs into the lower 70s for Tuesday.

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