Weekend cool front is dragging its way to South Florida... so when will the cold air arrive?

As if right on cue for 2023, another cool front arrives in South Florida for the weekend, as has been the case for much of January and February.

This one originally was expected to reach South Florida on Friday and clear out the muggy, cloudy skies for a beautiful Saturday and Sunday.

Not so fast.

This one is taking its time moving south, and the cooler air won't hit the area until Sunday morning, when temperatures drop to the 50s.

"In Palm Beach County, you'll be lucky to hit 70 on Sunday," said Chris Fisher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami. The Treasure Coast will be even cooler.

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That cool air will continue Monday with temperatures barely reaching 50 in the morning and with highs that day in the mid-70s. Beach, boating and golf conditions will be a bit breezy, though.

"The waves Sunday and Monday will be coming into the beach pretty strong," Fisher said. "There will be some gusts in the 20 and 30 mph range."

Ahead of the cool front, there will be a slight chance for isolated showers Friday night. Saturday night will bring warm and muggy temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s with more isolated showers.

What is slowing down the latest South Florida cool front?

Fisher said the front was originally supposed to arrive in South Florida on Friday, but because it is such a weak front, it is expected to slow significantly once it hits the Ocala-Gainesville area.

"Sometimes a high-pressure system that is parked over the Atlantic will slow things down for a front, but that's not the case here," he said. "It's just a weak system, and it won't bring the cool air until it clears out Saturday night."

The front is originating from a low-pressure system forming in the southern Plains states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. There is a slight threat of severe weather for Florida's Panhandle, but none of the tornadic conditions that the region has seen the past few weeks.

The system will move quickly from the southern Plains into the Mid-Mississippi Valley on Thursday and bring with it a cold front. This will trail right behind the Gulf of Mexico's warm, moist air, ahead of the colder, drier air. When the two systems collide, it will create the dangerous thunderstorms that will push farther east.

What's the rest of next week look like?

Like many of the other weak fronts that have come through South Florida this year, this one will pay a brief weekend visit before it departs, taking the cool weather with it.

Conditions are expected to warm up again mid-week with higher-than-normal temperatures.

But hang on. Another cool front is expected to arrive you guessed it — next weekend.

"Honestly, there is no reason the fronts have been arriving on the weekends," Fisher said. "It's just been a neat little coincidence."

Palm Beach County, Treasure Coast weekend forecast

Palm Beach County

• Friday: High 81, low 70. Warm and mostly sunny skies in the afternoon. Clear, but muggy at night.

• Saturday: High 81, low 62. Clouds in the afternoon and a slight chance of rain showers in the evening.

• Sunday: High 72, low 53. Cool air arrives Sunday morning with mainly sunny skies in the afternoon.

• Monday: High 72, low 61. Mostly sunny with low humidity. Beautiful day.

Treasure Coast

• Friday: High 84, low 67. A mix of sunshine and clouds with windy conditions during the day.

• Saturday: High 82, low 58. Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms possible.

• Sunday: High 71, low 47. A cold morning will warm up quickly for a nice, sunny afternoon.

• Monday: High 71, low 52. Mainly sunny and clear. Beautiful day.

James Coleman is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: South Florida weekend weather: Muggy but cold front right behind