The City of Orlando is gearing up for a noticeable change in weather, with an upcoming warming trend and distinct conditions for boaters. Following a cooler start this morning, the National Weather Service Melbourne, FL, anticipates a gradual temperature increase through the remainder of the weekend and into early next week, according to their latest area forecast discussion.
Residents who took to the waters today were met with less-than-ideal conditions, with the National Weather Service issuing a Small Craft Advisory that reminded of the continuing poor to hazardous boating conditions across the gulf stream waters. The advisory, which was in effect through early afternoon, particularly affected the offshore waters of Brevard County and the Treasure Coast, where seas up to 7 feet lingered.
In terms of terrestrial forecasts, a high pressure hovering across the southeastern United States will move southward, crossing the area by Sunday. This shift will foster a decrease in winds, veering northeast, and will also contribute to the rising temperatures forecasted through the coming days. In line with these predictions, today's highs near Orlando are expected in the mid-to-upper 60s, with low- to mid-70s anticipated for Sunday.
The approaching week appears to maintain the dry spell with clear to partly cloudy skies for the most part. However, come Wednesday, a strong cold front is expected to move through the region, bringing with it the next chance for rainfall. As presented by the National Weather Service, the forecast highlights scattered showers developing and pushing northeastward across the area into Wednesday. However, they have not included thunderstorms in the forecast yet.
Mariners, in particular, should prepare for a rapid change by midweek as the weather service predicts conditions over the waters will become poor to hazardous ahead of the same cold front expected to bring the precipitation ashore. This will result from increasing southerly winds preceding the front’s arrival, escalating to 15-20 knots into Tuesday night and then up to 15-25 knots out of the W/SW on Wednesday.
Aviators have less cause for concern, with VFR (Visual Flight Rules) conditions forecast throughout the period. Wind directions are set to vary, as northerly winds are expected to veer northeast late in the morning, remaining at or below 10 knots. Along the Treasure Coast, travelers can anticipate gusts reaching up to 18 knots, according to the aviation forecast.
Overall, Orlando residents and visitors should prepare for a spectrum of temperatures and conditions over the next few days, with cooler weather giving way to a warming trend and an eye towards midweek when the next front rolls in to shake things up again.
