Weather in this part of Florida is ... Weird. This Wet Bulb thing is burning my fingers.

I spend a lot of time in a parking lot.  Oh, not just any parking lot, but one with a lot to watch.  

Giant Gas Bags.
Golfers pretending they're in a competition.
Dog Walkers.
Clueless Karens.

Shall I go on?  I am entertained by the list, myself.

Pompano Beach Air Park.  It's a one mile square, so there is a bit more than a square mile of land there.  Big, and that's what you need to know about it.  Metric?  Big In Square Meters.  That's close enough.

It was a World War 2 Military Air Port.  I believe it was a municipal airport before then, and after the War it was returned to the city.  They didn't want an International Airport there interrupting fishing, so they lopped off some runway length and are quite happy with what they have.

Who am I to complain, they were wise enough to put in a multi use trail around it over the years, and it is one of the main reasons why I settled in South Florida.

No, really, being near to a ribbon of asphalt is important to my happiness.  I have spent many hours going around in large circles there in my two sports.

But being in a sport that takes me more than 2 hours to get finished, and sometimes more than 3 hours, means I have to watch which direction the winds are coming from at KPMP.  

Standing in that parking lot, staring at the gas bag starting to come out of the hangar lets me know if the winds are going to be punishing.  There is a big windsock on top of the building and it can give you a rough idea of wind speed and direction.  

That changes in the morning.  Since it is Summer and this is "Tropics Adjacent".  You see, Downtown Fort Lauderdale is only a few miles away so that sets up a heat island and usually around 10 AM, the winds begin to shift.  The ocean is only about 2 miles away from anywhere you really want to be in this area.  Considering that temperatures are moderated by the ocean, it is markedly cooler here than it is in the middle of the state.  

I have only noticed it get to 96F/35.5C here.  I have personally been in Orlando when it was over 104F/40C and believe me, you don't really want to do that.  Putting all those Theme Parks in the middle of an area pockmarked with little lakes has me scratching my head on the best of days.

But here, what all these influences mean is that weather comes from just about any direction at any moment.  

Right now, there is a Tropical Storm gathering up power in the Northeastern Gulf of MEXICO.  It is too far from here to see any direct effects, but the winds have been variable and heading generally toward the center of circulation.

Florida is "Flatter Than Kansas", along with many other metaphors you have heard over the years.

The short answer is that rains can come from any direction, at any time.  When I was growing up Up North, if it was starting to rain "now" it would probably still be raining a couple hours from now.  Storms came from the West and were fairly predictable.  I'm thinking with Global Warming, that may have changed.

Here you require a good Radar map and need to learn to read it depending on your own plans.  Every break I stop and check the Radar.  Roughly every hour.

Since rains can do a nasty to my workouts, and the bearings in my skates or my bike wheels, you end up doing Radar Math.  Winds are driving the pop up storms from the South, you will get wet.  

This link will show you information for Pompano Beach.  At the moment, it is 90F, Sunny, and Hot, and the site tells me that I should do nothing outdoors.  Black Flag Warning.  

I'm sure it is.  2pm on a Sunny July day in Florida.  

Excuse me, I'm going to get another glass of ice water.

The last workout, a storm formed just south of the park.  I knew it was there, but took a chance.  It was moving East to West and growing.  So I needed to go North.  Right decision.  Sure it got windy and gusty for a bit, but while that pop up hit the park, it only hit the South and West sides of the big square.  By the time I got to the South side of the park, it had moved West into the Over The Turnpike areas and had done its fun.  

I tell people that I have seen it rain in my front yard from the pool in the back yard.  I have also seen it decide to rain in the back yard and not the front.  From the same storm.

So if you are coming on down, it can be cooler in Fort Lauderdale than in Fort Wayne or Philadelphia in High Summer.  

Just not necessarily today. Today, I need sunblock to get my mail.

So remember to use sunscreen, like everyone says.  Have your fun in the sun before 10AM or after 4PM.  Bring plenty of water.

No I mean that last bit, heat exhaustion and dehydration are dangerous.  There is this thing called WBGT that we're being told to follow.  If the humidity and heat are too high for you to be safe out there on an athletic activity, go indoors.