Chilly, dry weather has arrived in South Florida and is here to stay, with temperatures likely not reaching the high 70s until later next week and rain chances remaining close to zero.

Temperatures dropped to the low 50s overnight Saturday in Palm Beach County and Fort Lauderdale, according to the National Weather Service, with Palm Beach International Airport hitting 51 degrees and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport hitting 56.

Sunday’s high is expected to reach 71 along the coast. The sun’s warmth will be tempered by the cold airmass draping the region. “Even with all that sun coming in, it’s warming the airmass up from a very low temperature,” National Weather Service meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazquez said.

New Year’s Eve temperatures will drop to the low 50s Sunday night in Broward and Palm Beach counties, and be slightly cooler inland. Areas south and west of Lake Okeechobee could see temperatures as low as 43 degrees.

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The cold temperatures are due to a “very strong push of cold air” behind a cold front that came through the area over the last few days, according to Torres-Vazquez.

So far, this weekend has been the chilliest of the season, though it hasn’t surpassed the cold snap that took over South Florida last January, when temperatures plunged into the 40s.

And it isn’t letting up anytime soon. A new cold front will arrive Tuesday, though temperatures will be slightly higher than this weekend, with lows in the mid-50s. Cloud cover will increase as the week progresses.

Finally, another front may come through Thursday, with a slight increase in rain chances — from near-zero to 20%. Ahead of the front, southerly winds will bring warm, tropical air back to South Florida, and high temperatures should climb to the high 70s.

The warm weather will be short-lived, however. Temperatures are forecast to dip again on Friday.