ORLANDO, Fla. – High pressure that has been keeping Central Florida dry and comfortable over the past week will begin to weaken through the end of the week before a developing system moves into the region this weekend.
On Thursday and Friday, expect a mix of sun and high clouds, with temperatures reaching the mid- to upper 70s and lows in the 50s.
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An approaching cold front will merge with an area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, leading to widespread showers. Models continue to be in disagreement about where exactly the low will cross the state, with the Euro model keeping it south and the GFS moving it further north. Because of this difference, the GFS looks to have a wetter outcome of the two with 1.5 to 2 inches of rain possible through the weekend.
Isolated storms with lighting cannot be ruled out on Saturday afternoon into the overnight. Any storms that do develop will be capable of heavy downpours, wind gusts up to 45 mph, with occasional lightning strikes. The main threat with this weekend’s activity continues to be heavy rainfall. In general, 1-3 inches of rain will be possible with locally higher amounts greater than 3 inches due to repeated rounds of heavy rain both Saturday and Sunday.
Skies will remain cloudy through the weekend, with winds picking up on Sunday. Temperatures will climb to near 70 degrees Saturday but will stay in the upper 50s by Sunday.
A drier weather outlook begins starting Presidents’ Day on Monday, with highs remaining below average in the upper 60s into the middle part of the workweek.