Cold front brings early taste of fall to Northwest Florida

You may have noticed the refreshing feel of the mornings lately. That’s due to the fact that the humidity has taken a dip across Northwest Florida.

Typically in the summer, we’re dominated by Gulf moisture which makes the air feel heavy and sticky. But right now, we’re feeling the effects of a weak front that pushed through earlier in the week.

Some slightly drier air is filtering down from the north behind that system, and that’s why mornings and nights have felt more comfortable.

Cold fronts don’t usually make it this far south in June or July because the subtropical high pressure, or Bermuda high, tends to dominate the southeast and block those systems. 

But as we move into late August and September, that high weakens and shifts, and the jet stream begins dipping a little farther south again. That allows more of those weak fronts to slide into the gulf coast region.

Of course these aren’t the strong winter-style cold fronts, and they don’t drop temperatures dramatically, but they do bring that nice break in humidity. It’s one of the first subtle signs that the seasons are beginning to change, even though it is technically still summer.

This doesn’t mean summer is over, and we’ll still see warm afternoons, but the lower humidity is giving us those crisp pleasant mornings that have people talking about fall already.

Enjoy it while it lasts, because Gulf moisture usually works its way back before too long after a little bit of relief.