The last week of October on the Suncoast brings plenty of sunshine but very little autumn. Northeast winds of 10 to 25 mph, with gusts near 30, hold steady through midweek thanks to high pressure north of Florida and a stalled boundary to the south pinching the pressure gradient. That means a breezy few days from Bradenton down through Charlotte Harbor.
The wind matters most on the water. A Small Craft Advisory runs through 8 p.m. Wednesday for Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Gulf coastal waters, with seas of 3 to 5 feet and the occasional 6. Rain chances climb to about 30% Wednesday around Sarasota and Bradenton, then settle near 20% Thursday and Friday. Dew points also climb into the upper 60s and lower 70s, so the humidity makes a brief comeback.
Halloween weekend looks mostly dry, with highs around 86 Saturday and mid-80s Sunday, and evening temperatures near the lower 70s for trick-or-treating. One more date to circle: daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1 at 2 a.m., bringing an extra hour of sleep and an earlier sunset. Are you ready for the early sunsets, or will you miss the long evenings?
