General Situation: A broad high pressure system over the area will maintain mostly pleasant and mild conditions across the Bahamas until a cold front with pre-frontal activity enters the Northwest Bahamas on Monday. The cold front will become stationary across the Central Bahamas on Tuesday. A building high pressure system behind the front will produce fresh to strong breezes across the archipelago through the week as the stationary front dissipates on Thursday.

Friday 31st – Partly cloudy and warm with the slight chance of a passing shower or two across the NW Bahamas. Partly cloudy to fair skies and mild at night. Maximum temperature 84°F and minimum temperature 63°F. Small Craft should continue to exercise caution across the SE Bahamas. Winds are variable at 10 knots or less in the NW Bahamas, occasionally turning E to SE at 10 to 15 knots at times, E to SE at 10 to 15 knots in the Central Bahamas, falling light and variable at times, and E’ly at 15 to 20 knots in the SE Bahamas. Seas 2 to 4 feet in the NW and Central Bahamas, falling to 1 to 3 feet at times, and 4 to 6 feet in the SE Bahamas.

Saturday 1st (New Year’s Day!) – Partly cloudy to cloudy and warm with the slight chance of an isolated shower. Partly cloudy to fair skies and mild at night. Maximum temperature 84F and minimum temperature 66°F. Small Craft should continue to exercise caution across the SE Bahamas. Winds are SE to S at 10 to 15 knots in the NW Bahamas, E to SE at 12 to 18 knots in the Central Bahamas, and E’ly at 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts in the SE Bahamas. Seas 2 to 4 feet in the NW Bahamas, 3 to 5 feet in the Central Bahamas, and 4 to 7 feet in the SE Bahamas but higher in gusts.

Sunday 2nd – Part cloudy to cloudy and warm with the slight chance of an isolated shower. Partly cloudy to occasionally fair skies and mild at night. Maximum temperature 88°F and minimum temperature 68°F. Small Craft should continue to exercise caution in the SE Bahamas and caution will come into effect for the Extreme NW Bahamas by afternoon. Winds are SSE to SSW at 10 to 15 knots across the NW Bahamas but switch SSW to SWS at 15 to 20 knots in the Extreme NW Bahamas by afternoon, ESE to SSE at 12 to 18 knots in the Central Bahamas but gusty at times, and E to SE at 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts. Seas are 2 to 4 feet in the NW Bahamas building to 4 to 6 feet in the Extreme NW Bahamas by afternoon, 3 to 5 feet in the Central Bahamas but higher in gusts, and 4 to 7 feet but higher in gusts in the SE Bahamas.

Monday 3rd – Partly cloudy to occasionally cloudy and warm with some scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms near the front across the NW Bahamas through nightfall. Elsewhere, partly cloudy to fair skies and warm through nightfall. Maximum temperature 80°F and a minimum temperature 69°F. Small Craft should continue to exercise caution in the NW Bahamas. Winds are SW to W at 15 to 20 knots across the Extreme NW Bahamas and elsewhere in the NW Bahamas at 10 to 15 knots early but becoming N to NE at 15 to 20 knots across the entire NW Bahamas by early evening, SE to S at 10 to 15 knots, falling light and variable at times in the Central Bahamas, and E to SE at 10 to 15 knots, falling below 10 knots at times in the SE Bahamas. Seas are 4 to 6 in the Extreme NW Bahamas but building from 2 to 4 feet elsewhere in the NW Bahamas to 4 to 6 feet by evening, and 2 to 4 feet across the Central and SE Bahamas, falling to 1 to 3 feet at times.

Tuesday 4th– Partly cloudy to cloudy, a bit breezy, and mild with few scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms mainly across the NW and SE Bahamas through nightfall. Maximum temperature 81°F and minimum temperature 66°F. Small craft caution continues across the NW Bahamas and comes into effect for the SE Bahamas later. Winds are NE to E at 15 to 20 knots, falling to 10 to 15 knots at times in the NW Bahamas and NE to E at 10 to 15 knots across the Central and SE Bahamas increasing to 15 to 20 knots in the SE Bahamas late. Seas are 4 to 6 feet across the NW Bahamas, falling to 2 to 4 feet at times and 2 to 4 feet in the Central and SE Bahamas building to 4 to 6 feet in the SE Bahamas later with building NW’ly to N’ly swells over the Extreme NW Bahamas.

Wednesday 5th – Partly sunny and warm with few widely scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. Partly cloudy to fair at night with some lingering showers or a possible isolated thunderstorm. Maximum temperature 83°F and minimum temperature 68°F. Small Craft Caution comes into effect for the SE Bahamas by evening. Winds are E’ly at 10 to 15 knots, falling variable at 10 knots or less at times for all areas but increasing to 15 to 20 knots across the SE Bahamas by evening. Seas are 2 to 4 feet overall areas, falling to 1 to 3 feet at times but building to 4 to 6 feet across the SE Bahamas by evening. Some moderate to large northerly to north-easterly swells over Atlantic exposures.

Thursday 6th – Partly cloudy and warm with few scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across the archipelago through nightfall. Maximum temperature 84°F and minimum temperature 70°F. Small Craft should continue to exercise caution in the SE Bahamas. Winds are E to SE at 10 to 15 knots, falling light and variable at times across the NW Bahamas, E’ly at 12 to 18 knots in the Central Bahamas, and E’ly at 15 to 20 knots in the SE Bahamas. Seas 2 to 4 feet in the NW Bahamas falling to 1 to 3 feet at times, 3 to 5 feet in the Central Bahamas, and 4 to 6 feet in the SE Bahamas. Some light to moderate to N’ly to NE’ly swells over Atlantic exposures.

Beachgoers and mariners should be vigilant for rough surf and the moderate to high risk of dangerous rip currents mainly along coastal beaches during the stated advisories. Boaters and beachgoers should also be alert for possible tornadic or waterspout activity especially in the vicinity of the frontal boundary. Mariners should exercise caution for gusty winds and higher seas during heavy showers and possible thunderstorms.