Hurricane Milton just left Miami a parting gift. What the changing forecast says

MIAMI — Hurricane Milton, now a post-tropical cyclone and no longer a threat, was a good-for-nothing beast.

Except for one little thing we may feel this weekend: a drop in the temperature and an escape from the phone-dinging heat advisory alerts that have hit almost daily into October.

South Florida woke to temperatures in the mid-70s Friday morning.

Cooler weather

“Behind Milton there was a marked dry air plume that pushed over the area and so we’re definitely seeing those lower dew points and more comfortable temperatures over the area — today into tomorrow,” Ana Torres-Vazquez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said on Friday.

That takes us into Saturday on this Columbus Day holiday weekend and another bracing slap to the wet weather-weary.

Wet weekend holiday

Thunderstorms with potential flooding rain moves into the Miami-Dade and Broward areas Saturday and is expected to linger Sunday and Columbus Day Monday.

“Despite the fact that we do have drier air and nicer conditions overall, there’s still enough moisture lingering in the area that when the front comes through and you have that moisture, it will be a good combination for those thunderstorms to form, and we could potentially have localized flooding with some of those heavier rainfall producers along the East Coast ... Saturday,” Torres-Vazquez said.

The weather service puts the chance for thunderstorms and showers Saturday through Monday at 40% to 60%.

But it will continue to feel cooler. High temperatures will be 84, dropping to 76 at night.

Some of the storms could dump two to four inches of rain, with some areas sloshing through about six inches along the coast, Torres-Vazquez said. “The models are pointing toward more like Broward Metro or Miami-Dade Metro.”

Beach conditions

The weather service issued a high rip current risk advisory for coastal Miami-Dade and Broward through Saturday evening.

The rip currents are being fueled by an increasing northeast wind, said CBS News Miami meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez.

“It is not safe to go swimming in the ocean. There is also a small craft advisory for boaters due to the gusty winds and hazardous marine conditions,” Gonzalez said in her report.