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A cold front with drier air is on the way — but some of us in Florida may hardly notice

A weak front is heading to Florida that will bring temperatures down to the 40s in Tallahassee, the 50s from Pensacola to Palm Beach County — but then skips ahead to the low 70s in Miami and the Keys.

What happened to the 60s?

Some parts like Sanibel-Captiva may bottom out around 69 degrees and Orlando may get the low- to mid-60s, but the cooler cools will be on the northern end of the state.

South Florida and the Keys will be among the warmest parts of the country in the first few days of December.

Those hoping for a cool Yule season, don’t worry, it’ll happen. At some point.

“We need a stronger front to be able to sweep through the whole peninsula,” George Rizzuto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said, chuckling.

“They come through and they hit the lake and they just weaken. So we haven’t gotten a nice pool of cool air yet,“ he said, assuring those of us who are sweltering in South Florida that the northern part of the state won’t always have dibs on all the chill.

The frontal boundary coming through, most likely on Thursday, looks weak in terms of temperatures but it is going to bring some drier air behind it, Rizzuto said. That means a reduced chance of rain through the weekend and into early next week.

Wednesday could bring some isolated to scattered showers and maybe a thunderstorm, however. Rain chances are 30% in Key West and Miami-Dade to Palm Beach.

Maximum highs for the east coast will be closer to average for this time of year, low 80s on Friday through the weekend, Rizzuto said. Even northern Florida won’t be that cold. A high of 80 is forecast for Gainesville on Saturday, for instance.

Small craft advisories may be necessary for the Keys later Thursday as the front moves through, bringing breezy northeast winds of 15 mph and rougher seas, the weather service said.

A high risk for rip currents along Palm Beach County beaches and moderate risk in Miami-Dade and Broward is expected to continue Wednesday through Monday.