Orlando residents woke up to a misty and fog-addled morning today, as a weak cold front moved in over the area. Taking a look at the weather dashboard, the National Weather Service Melbourne has warned of low clouds and fog blanketing the city, particularly impactful north of Orlando, where the cloud cover may persist through much of the day. Motorists are advised to use low beam headlights and exercise caution due to potential visibility issues, especially at times.
Fog and low clouds aren't the only things gracing the city's skies; a forecast of scattered rain showers and even isolated lightning storms is on the docket. Looking to the week ahead, a cooling trend picks up, but with no frost or freeze concerns in sight.
Into the weekend, the stalled front keeps the chance for scattered rain around, with rain coverage predicted to increase by Sunday, particularly north of Orlando. The National Weather Service suggests keeping a lookout for periods of heavy rain and advises that some areas may experience localized flooding. Moving through Monday, things begin to shift, turning noticeably cooler, but remaining largely above seasonal averages in temperature.
Mariners should also take note, as coastal conditions are set to deteriorate by Monday. Though winds are mild now, there's an anticipated surge coming, and seas are expected to build, reaching 5 to 7 feet. The weather service cautions, poor to hazardous seas are expected to build late Monday, indicating challenging conditions are imminent for those out on the water. Scattered showers over marine areas are projected north of Cape Canaveral today, with a spread southward Sunday night into Monday as the front pushes through.
As for flight conditions, it's a rough start. Low visibility and ceiling conditions have caused the NWS to caution pilots, with stratus clouds leading to IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) conditions and poor visibility through the morning hours. Air traffic should anticipate conditions to improve later in the day, but it's going to be a bit rocky before we get that clear blue back.
While looking ahead, Orlando's immediate forecast calls for a cooler, drier week once we get past this pesky front. According to the National Weather Service, you can expect highs to hold near seasonal into mid-week, with temperatures making a gradual increase towards the weekend. After the showers and potential thunderstorms wrap up, the latter part of the week offers a return to more predictably pleasant Florida winter days.
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