Cooler, drier air on the way after wet end to weekend

After a rainy end to the weekend, a cold front is bringing drier air to the area this week.

The Bradenton area was soaked with 1.4 inches of rain Sunday, Spectrum Bay News 9 reported. Year-to-date, there has been 2.57 inches of rain at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, about 0.24 inches above average, according to WeatherUnderground.com.

The record for rainfall on Jan. 29 is 1.64 inches in 1925, according to WeatherUnderground.com.

There is a high rip current risk in effect through Tuesday evening for Coastal Charlotte, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Sarasota and Pinellas, according to the National Weather Service.

A low pressure system pulling away from the area will be trailed by the cold front, which will bring cooler and drier air. Pleasant, dry weather is expected Tuesday with plenty of sunshine, though it will be chilly with a high predicted in the low 60s, according to the National Weather Service. It will be even cooler Tuesday night, with a low of nearly 43.

By Wednesday, things start working their way back to warmer weather, with a high of 66 expected and a low of 51. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will see highs return to the low 70s and should be at least partly sunny days, according to the NWS.

According to Bay News 9 meteorologists, the cold front will drop off most chances of showers until Sunday. That’s when the NWS says a strong upper-level trough will come in and bring another cold front behind it.

The NWS calls for a 30 percent chance of rain Sunday with a high near 73.

This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Cooler, drier air on the way after wet end to weekend."