Sandy missed us!

With all the focus on Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent nor'easter that - unfortunately - created havoc along the East Coast of the U.S. a little-known fact is that none of this impacted Santa Rosa Beach!  As the temperatures nose dive in the eastern half of the country behind this monster storm system the weather here remains warm and wonderful!  The highs this week are in the low to mid-70's (F) and look to remain that way through the beginning of next week after passage of a weak cold front that may pop a few showers Sunday night into Monday.  Even so Monday's forecast calls for partly sunny conditions.

The average high temperature for the month of November is in the low 70's, and it looks like we'll stay pretty close to average for the month given this graphic from the Climate Prediction Center:

Come on down!

Cool weather outbreak warning

Still wondering if you should head south since the fall weather is nice and warm in your area?  Take a look at these two temperature forecast maps.  First, the one for this coming Monday afternoon (Oct 22):

Still pretty balmy over much of the country.  Now, check out this forecast map for seven days later (same time of day, but for Oct 29):

Notice the blue colors invading the northern half of the U.S.?  That's a cold air invasion from Canada just before Halloween, and given the time of day for this graphic (18Z, or 2:00 p.m. EDT) this is a good representation of the high temperature for that day. 

Our nice warm autumn weather pattern appears as if it could quickly shift into one resembling more of a winter look.  But, look at the Florida panhandle...still showing high temperatures near 70 degrees even after the cold air intrusion.  Casablanca at 30A sounds like the place to be if you want to keep enjoying warm weather this fall!

More beautiful autumn weather ahead

You know, sometimes it just doesn't seem fair when weather at the beach stays warm, dry, and beautiful while the rest of the country chills down or stays wet.  But that's exactly what's happening at Santa Rosa Beach FL as a series of cold fronts sweeps across the nation about every 4 days.   The current front is pushing through the region today while the next one is due through Thursday, but what is noteworthy is that the beach forecast for both days includes the word "sunny" - after a mention of a slight chance of showers and thundestorms - and high temperatures at or near the 80 degree (F) mark.  How does that compare with weather at your location? 

And even though hurricane season lasts through the end of November there are no tropical systems anywhere near the Gulf of Mexico.  This graphic shows where Tropical Storm Rafael is headed and it's well away from Santa Rosa Beach.

So if you want warm and dry conditions for a beach vacation it's time to head down to Casablanca on 30A for a fall break from the cooler weather ahead!

More incentive to head to the beach

If you weren't - or aren't - prepared for this weekend's cold blast check out this temperature forecast graphic for Sunday evening October 7:

These temperatures for the atmospheric layer at 5000 feet (which I've picked because they aren't influenced much by daytime heating or nighttime cooling) show the "dagger" of cold air pouring out of Canada over most of the eastern half of the U.S., with the bluer shades representing colder temperatures.  Notice the temperatures over the panhandle of Florida...much warmer than those over the states to the north. 


Here are a few forecast high temperatures for Monday, which is Columbus Day:
     Washington DC     59 degrees (F)
     New York, NY       60
     Chicago, IL           60
     Indianapolis, IN     58 (with morning frost!!)
     Columbus, OH      56 (again, with morning frost!!)

What's Monday's forecast high for Santa Rosa Beach?    How about 77 warm degrees?!!!  So if you're not quite ready for the cold air think about what it would be like to be on the beach under sunny skies and short-sleeve temperatures at Casablanca on 30A. 

Wanna stay warm and dry?

Wow!  Check out this forecast graphic from the Climate Prediction Center that shows the temperature probabilities through the middle of October:

The eastern two-thirds of the U.S. looks like it will be much cooler than normal...but check out the lighter blue shading (or almost total lack thereof) at the yellow-starred location of Santa Rosa Beach.  The air temperatures here are forecast to be much closer to normal for this period than the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, and Great Plains states.  The proximity of the still very warm Gulf of Mexico waters helps moderate temperatures at beachfronts during the autumn months while the rest of the country cools off quickly.

In addition I just checked the precipitation forecast through the first two weeks of October and, other than a slight chance of afternoon showers and thundershowers on Thursday the 4th, conditions look to be dry during the entire period.  So let's see...dry weather plus temperatures warmer than locales further north (Santa Rosa Beach highs through this coming weekend will be in the low 80's!) should equal a great time to visit Casablanca on 30A!!