As a cold front sweeps through east central Florida, the National Weather Service Melbourne, FL, alerts Orlando residents to brace for a drop in temperature and conditions that may affect outdoor plans; a statement issued early this morning indicated an approaching cold front that would bring isolated showers possible mainly across the northern half of east central Florida and is expected to cause a dip in daytime highs to the cooler 60s north of the Orlando metro area. At the same time, parts a bit farther south might still see temperatures in the low to mid-70s, according to the National Weather Service Melbourne, FL.
For those with maritime interests, the outlook is choppy, as the front also brings about deteriorating boating and surf conditions and northerly winds are on the rise, which could lead to gusts reaching 20-25 mph while also setting the stage for wind chill values diving into the mid-30s to low 40s over the interior late this evening and into the night the Weather Service further warns that Small Craft Advisories are in effect for the offshore waters starting late this evening, extending into early Saturday morning because of building seas that could peak between 6-7 feet.
The colder air is not settling in for a long stay, however. As the weekend progresses, temperatures will start to make a slow ascent back to Florida's normal range for this time of year, with highs still cooler than normal in the mid-60s to low 70s on Saturday. Still, with gentle warming to a more comfortable low to mid-70s by Sunday, skies are expected to clear up as well, making room for mostly sunny forecasts leading into early next week, "Surface high pressure across the region shifts eastward into early next week," the National Weather Service forecasts.
Looking ahead to the next working week, the weather appears to grant a brief respite from the cold snap; a light S/SE flow facilitated by the eastward-moving high-pressure ridge will usher in a warming trend, highs anticipated to reach the upper 70s to low 80s on Monday, and then low 80s by Tuesday. However, marking the calendar for the middle of the week is worth marking since a strong mid/upper-level trough is expected to bring another cold front through the area late Wednesday into Wednesday night. While rain forecasts are modest at the moment, rain chances at this time only rise to 20-30 percent Wednesday- Wednesday night. Still, it's an unmistakable signal that Florida's winter dance ain't over til it's over.
