First day of winter was cold

The first day of winter didn't disappoint, as it was partly cloudy with lows overnight in the 40s and highs in the mid-60s. Northern winds blew 5 to 10 mph.

Overnight, it was expected to remain partly cloudy with lows in the mid-30s. Low lying areas could see some colder temperatures.

"There will be a warming trend," said Logan Johnson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin on Monday. "Each day will be a little warmer than the last.

"Somebody called us today and asked us if we'll have a white Christmas."

The answer was no, he said.

The forecast for today is mostly sunny in the morning, then becoming partly cloudy. Lowest wind chill readings 29 to 39 in the morning.

Tonight will be mostly clear with lows in the mid-40s. Northeast winds are expected to remain at 5 to 10 mph.

Highs were predicted to be in the lower 70s today and mid-70s by Wednesday, he said.

Wednesday night it will be partly cloudy with lows in the mid 50s.

"Thursday and Friday we should see the upper 70s," he said.

The forecast for Christmas Eve is partly sunny with a slight chance of showers in the morning, then mostly cloudy with chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 70s with a 30 percent chance of rain.

Thursday night may be mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Lows in the upper 50s are forecast. How soon the showers arrive will depend on the advance of a weakening cold front.

Christmas Day and Friday night could be partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs will be in the mid-70s. Lows will be in the lower 50s.

"We're expecting a cool-down over the weekend, but it doesn't look that significant at this point," he said. "The clouds and rain will kind of hold things down a bit."

Saturday through Sunday will be partly cloudy with highs in the upper 60s. Lows are expected to reach the mid 40s.

The showers are part of the El Nino effect, said Johnson.

"This is supposed to be the dry season," he said. "One of the effects you'll see from El Nino are these rain patterns in the winter time."