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Another cold front headed to South Florida; temps could dip into the 30s
By Ken Kaye
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Expect a cold start to the week -- and possibly some stormy weather this afternoon.
Temperatures
on Monday morning were forecast to drop into the low to mid 40s across
the metro areas. Far inland, near the Everglades, wind chill readings
could be in the 30s, the National Weather Service in Miami said.
High
temperatures on Monday afternoon were predicted to be in the high 60s.
It also should be sunny and breezy, the weather service said. Tuesday
morning also was expected to be chilly with readings in the low 40s in
the metro areas and possibly the upper 30s in the far inland areas of
Palm Beach County.
The brisk weather is arriving in the wake of
a strong front that is to pass over South Florida today. It's the same
weather system that delivered snow and freezing weather to many of
Southeast and Mid Atlantic states. The front also might produce rain or
thunderstorms this afternoon.
The bad weather resulted in a
handful of departures being canceled at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and
Palm Beach international airports this afternoon. Those flights were
headed primarily to Atlanta, Charlotte and Philadelphia. Several other
flights were delayed, some up to two hours, airport officials said.
After
Tuesday, the rest of the week should be mostly sunny, cool in the
mornings and mild in the afternoons, the weather service said.
The
system bringing cool weather to South Florida already has marched
across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia and was taking aim at the East
Coast today.
Cities along a corridor arcing through Washington, D.C., to Boston and beyond braced for heavy snow early in the week.
According
to The Associated Press, Alabama was first up for a rare white
blanketing for the South in March. Most roads there were clear, but
snowfall totals ranging from 1 to 4 inches forced more than 210
churches in central Alabama to cancel morning services as a precaution.
About 2 inches of snow covered Civil War statues in Montgomery.
"I
think you can worship in this, it's so rare," said Vonda Braswell,
throwing snowballs in her front yard instead of putting on her Sunday
best.
Scott Unger at the National Weather Service office in
Birmingham said a winter storm warning was in effect until 3 p.m. today
mostly for several northern and eastern counties of Alabama - with much
of the rest of the state under a winter storm advisory.
He said
snow accumulations could reach up to five inches in some areas of
Alabama, where some churches canceled Sunday services and cold,
blustery winds whipped even the usually balmy Gulf Coast.
Michigan
resident Wayne Letson fretted about sharing the roads with Southerners
unaccustomed to winter weather as he drove through snowy Alabama toward
Florida.
"This is nothing to me, but I'm worried about the other
people who think they know what they're doing," said Letson, filling up
his car with gas south of Birmingham.
The Rev. Shane Lambert,
pastor of Eulaton First Baptist near Anniston, said his congregation
held a missions conference today, but canceled the main service because
of the snow. He said falling snow made visibility poor for travelers in
that area, which reported up to 5 inches.
"It was very slushy," he said. "March came in like a lion." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.