Most of us love the cooler, drier weather in the wake of a cold front. But, at least here in South Florida, fronts usually provide another great benefit: clear blue skies.
The fronts tend to wash away clouds and humidity, and it’s that lack of moisture in the atmosphere that makes the sky appear a darker shade of blue than in the summer.
“Higher humidity during the summer gives the sky its characteristic hazy or milky blue color,” said Jim Lushine, our resident weather expert.
However, that even without the humidity, South Florida’s skies have become hazier over the decades, largely the result of man-made pollution, Lushine noted.
“When I moved to South Florida 40 years ago, it was quite common to have deep azure blue skies during the dry season,” he said. “Nowadays, even with low humidity, there is a brownish tinge to the sky, most noticeable by looking straight at the horizon.”
