Was at Haulover last Saturday morning early, to watch the sunrise while sipping my Starbucks.  Water was rough, and abundant seaweed, but no sign of red tide.  Spent the rest of the day at SoBe, swam, and lay out in my Dore cage around 23rd St., an open space between the chaises-for-rent territories where people can simply roll out their towels.   

Here on the west coast, the red tide alerts remain posted, but I'm in swimming every day when the dead creatures at water's edge aren't too abundant.  Was planning to get back to Haulover and SoBe on Nov. 3rd, so I hope the red tide abates there if it means the beaches would be closed.  

So is it warm enough to thong in January in Miami? Want to take a trip down there this winter if it's practical.

Weather in January and February can be warm and sunny, or COLD and rainy, when we have a cold front come through.  When a front comes down from the rest of America it brings a little winter with it. The clouds from the front normally move through in a day or two, but the cold air that comes in behind can linger for several days.

The front will be cold and wet, followed by dry cold winds that slowly clock round from the West / North West / North / North East / East. We get the warmer trade winds back once the wind comes from the East or SE.

After a cold front move though, and the sun comes back out, even thorough the wind from the North is still cold you can often find warm corner outside a building, if you can find one protecting you from the Westerly or Northly winds.  If booking a hotel get a ground level room that opens onto a deck facing SE, or find a SE facing L in a building.

Cold? sometimes it gets so cold we have to wear long pants. I have even seen people wear a leather jackets at night, but I think they were posy tourists.

You can be HOT in the daytime, if the sun is out, and trade winds blowing warm air up from the tropics. In the winter, during the day, the temp can change quite fast. You can expect to go from cotton tracksuit to thong and back between morning and evening, or even just for a few minutes when a cloud obscures the sun.

Whats an OPT?

Abbreviations best avoided. I too had no idea what it meant!