ORLANDO, Fla. – The coldest air of the season is approaching Central Florida, as a significant winter-like cold front sweeps through the area.
A few scattered showers will be possible through midday with a slim 20% chance for heavy rain and thunder.
Many models showed a decent shot for rain early Wednesday due to the combination of the Arctic front and tropical moisture from the remnants of Sara in the Gulf of Mexico. But due to the finicky nature of tropical moisture, much of the rain fizzled out quickly as it moves on the west coast of Florida by 4 a.m. While we aren’t seeing widespread rain, a few scattered showers can’t be ruled out through the early afternoon hours.
By late afternoon, the rain should start tapering off as the front moves south, and by Wednesday night, high pressure will start to build over the Deep South, drying things out by Thursday and into the weekend.
Although the front is expected to clear by the afternoon hours, it will take some time for the cold air to catch up. For this reason, Wednesday’s afternoon temperatures will stay around normal— upper 70s near I-4 and low 80s further south.
The cooler air will start settling in with lows dropping to the low 50s to low 60s Wednesday night.
Thursday will be a cooler day with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s.
Thursday night will be even chillier, with lows in the mid 40s to low 50s. Wind chill values could drop into the low-to-mid 40s Thursday night.
The coldest air will be felt Friday and Saturday with highs staying in the mid 60s and lows down into the 30s and 40s. Wind chills could dip into the upper 30s to mid 40s Friday and Saturday mornings, with low 40s to mid 50s expected Sunday morning.
The last time temperatures dipped this low during November was six years ago in 2018! Although it will certainly be a shock to the system for many Floridians, temperatures remain out of record-breaking territory.
The cool and dry air is expected to linger through the weekend as a large ridge of high pressure to our north remains in control.
A gradual warming trend will start early next week, with highs back in the upper 70s to low 80s and lows in the upper 40s to upper 50s.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: