Orlando residents, brace yourselves for a chilly outlook. The National Weather Service in Melbourne predicts some unseasonably cold days. According to a discussion early Thursday morning, the Orlando area should expect increased light to moderate showers today. However, prepare for a dry spell starting Friday and into the weekend.
Temperatures are taking a nosedive, with a colder-than-usual trend set to continue into the weekend before a gradual warmup begins on Sunday—a break from cold Florida isn't used to seeing, with lows anticipated in the 30s and 40s for Friday and Saturday mornings and wind chill values dropping into the mid-20s and 30s. It's not just a fleeting chill; a "Cold Weather Advisory" has been issued for several counties where the lowest wind chill values of 25 to 30 degrees are expected, and with a high probability that these colder temperatures will be reinforced into Friday, highs are not expected to exceed the mid to upper 50s throughout the region.
Looking towards the weekend, the high pressure creeping in from the north promises more dry conditions and a modest increment in temperatures after the frosty beginning of Saturday, even though highs will remain below the norm for the time of year; the wintry setting is slowly giving way as highs on Sunday should revert to more familiar territory, posting in the upper 60s to low 70s, except for the low to mid-60s along the Volusia County coast.
Conditions on the water aren't faring much better, with hazardous boating conditions likely to persist until the end of the week. A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect, a nod to the unruly marine life being ushered in by weak low pressure off the southeast Florida coast, which could dial up northerly winds to 20-25 knots and generate seas ranging from 7-10 feet today, things should settle a bit come the weekend with winds easing off slightly but boating aficionados should still exercise caution as seas will likely maintain heights up to 5-7 feet over the gulf stream early Saturday. For those looking skyward, aviators can expect IFR/LIFR CIGs to persist through Thursday morning, but a gradual lift to MVFR is forecast for the afternoon. However, wind gusts along the coast may not relent until later in the evening.
With the dry air mass rolling in and RH values poised to hit the upper 30s to low 40s along and north of the I-4 corridor by Friday afternoon, residents and specialists should be alert for increased fire weather risks. This is particularly true given that northerly winds will gust to about 15 mph along the coast.
