Record Warmth In South Florida And This Is What's Causing It

MIAMI CBS(Miami) – South Florida is feeling too warm for December and that's putting the heat on the holiday season shopping with shoppers not just breaking the bank but also breaking into a sweat.

Temperatures have been warmer each afternoon, so far this week, and Wednesday afternoon is no exception. The forecast high on Wednesday is expected to top 86 degrees in Miami which is only one degree away from tying the record high of 87 set in 2017.

87 degrees is also a record max temperature for Thursday that was set in 2009. The forecast high for this Thursday afternoon is 85. By Friday, the warm pattern continues with highs getting into the mid-80s but the record is 89 which will be a stretch to reach.

Then comes Saturday with another chance for South Florida to warm up to near-record high temperatures. The record high is 85 degrees set in 2019 and the forecast calls for a high of 84.

The normal high for Miami during the month of December is between 77 to 79 degrees so it is no question that this week's warm pattern is unseasonable. The reason for the December heat is due to 3 things:

1) No cold fronts. The last strong cold front was before Thanksgiving.

2) Southwesterly flow the past few days.

3) High pressure in the mid-levels of the atmosphere is building right over South Florida

That high pressure system hovers over the area from Thursday through Saturday. Then a cold front is set to arrive late Sunday. This will put a dramatic end to the warm pattern because high temperatures will fall at least ten degrees and bring back the cool weather to South Florida.