The chill of New Year’s Eve will be a harbinger of more cold weather to come this week in South Florida.

The last day of 2023 saw highs in the low 70s, which will be indicative of the first week of 2024. Daytime highs will remain in the low 70s near the coast, and cooler in the western suburbs through Wednesday, with nighttime temperatures in the low to mid 50s.

The National Weather Service projects that Thursday will be warmer, but will also carry the possibility of showers as moist air moves in from the south.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jennifer Simmons said that when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, it will still be a 60 degrees, but temperatures will drop another 10 degrees, down to the low 50s on the coast and mid 40s inland.

“The low will be later into the evening,” she said. “Around 3 or 4 in the morning (New Year’s Day) for the coolest temperatures.”

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The New Year’s Eve weekend temperatures were the chilliest of the season, though not quite as brutal as the cold snap that took over South Florida last January, when temperatures plunged into the 40s.

Looking ahead
The first week of 2024 will be dominated by a series of weak cold fronts that will continue to bring cool air, but not enough moisture for rainfall. They will, however, bring cloud cover and thus slightly warmer nights.

A third front will arrive Thursday, and a chance of showers, Simmons said. The front’s winds will be from Southwest and carry moisture, and the front will have traveled over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will pick up additional moisture. Those two factors will make precipitation likely, but just how much remains to be seen.