Orlando residents, you can pack away the rain gear for now and enjoy some dry conditions, but keep a jacket handy for the cool snap. The National Weather Service Melbourne FL provided an update on this week's weather forecast. According to the morning bulletin, cooler temperatures are expected today with a warming trend set to start Thursday through Saturday.
The update, issued at 230 AM EST, indicated the departure of a cold front, leaving behind low stratus clouds and the potential for some patchy fog. Highs are cooler today, with L70s predicted north/west of I-4, and temperatures might hit around 80°F in parts of Martin and southern St. Lucie counties. The nighttime will bring much cooler temperatures with lows in the U40s to around 50F in some areas. Just as a gentle reminder, the high pressure building into the southeast U.S. behind the front tonight will result in mostly clear skies.
By Thursday and Friday, a gradual warming trend is expected as surface high pressure weakens with highs in the L-M70s around the I-4 corridor. The weekend forecast suggests moisture pooling ahead of a late-week front might bring showers and isolated thunderstorms, particularly on Sunday. We keep SCT (30-50%) showers in the forecast near Orlando northward during the day on Sat, and Vero Beach northward Sat night (ISOLD, 10-24%, elsewhere), the report detailed.
Mariners will notice improving conditions post-front, with NW/N winds 7-11 kts and seas subsiding to 2-3 ft near shore and 3-4 ft offshore. Be aware, however, by the weekend, increasing moisture and an approaching front could lead to scattered showers and isolated storms at sea. The report adds, the gradient may tighten a bit Fri night into the weekend with 15 kt speeds well offshore, so boaters should be cautious, especially well off the Cape northward.
For aviators, the morning's cloud cover is expected to improve by afternoon with mainly VFR conditions forecasted through the remainder of the period. North-northwest winds are anticipated to remain steady at 5 to 10 knots. Finally, temp-wise, you're looking at a likely need for more layers as a reinforcing 'Clipper' front will push down the area late on Mon driving overnight mins for Mon night/Tue morning into the M-U40s to around 50F for much of the interior and Volusia coast, said the bulletin.
