South Florida Weather Tuesday 12-3-2024

MIAMI, Florida - South Florida high temperatures will only reach the mid 60s to low 70s this afternoon.

Tonight, low temperatures will reach the upper 30s/low 40s near Lake Okeechobee, mid to upper 40s across Southwest Florida, and the low 50s in Southeast Florida.

Breezy northerly winds will result in wind chill values tonight several degrees below actual forecast low temperatures across South Florida.

The potential exists for wind chill values in the 30s west of Lake Okeechobee with wind chill values in the 40s and 50s elsewhere in South Florida, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.

What is "Wind Chill Factor"?

Wind Chill is a term used to describe what the air temperature feels like to the human skin due to the combination of cold temperatures and winds blowing on exposed skin. In simple terms, the colder the air temperature and the higher the wind speeds the colder it will feel on your skin if you're outside. So even if it remains the same temperature, but the wind speed increases it will actually feel colder to your skin.

So why does it feel colder if the wind speed increases but the temperature remains the same? 

The reason is because as wind blows across our bodies it takes the heat we naturally emit and blows it away from our bodies. The faster the wind speed the faster our body heat is taken away and the colder it feels. It is a similar process for when you blow on a hot bowl of soup to cool it down. The temperature that it feels like outside due to the air temperature and wind speed is called the "Wind Chill."

Wednesday through Monday

Wednesday morning will be the coolest morning, with wind chills in the 30s across the Lake Okeechobee Region, and near 50 degrees along South Florida's east coast metros.