The city of Orlando is bracing for a rare Arctic blast this weekend, with meteorologists from the National Weather Service predicting temperatures diving into the 20s come Saturday night. According to the National Weather Service Melbourne FL, this significant shift will lead to low temperatures and wind chills hitting the teens and potentially single digits north of Orlando.
While Orlando residents can enjoy near-seasonal high temperatures around 70F on Friday, come Saturday night, things take a drastic turn. A brief respite from frost and freeze conditions tonight and Friday night with near seasonable high temperatures Friday, the forecast discussion reads. The area is looking at windy conditions beforehand as a strong cold front sweeps through the region, possibly generating peak wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph. Floridians are advised that it's not just the cold, but the wind that will make conditions feel even more chilling.
The cold weather will impose significant risks. There is a 60-90% chance of a hard freeze (<= 27 deg F) on Sunday morning for all areas except Martin County (20-50%). The forecast discussion specifies issuing warnings that this unexpected weather pattern can bring deleterious effects, such as frozen pipes and damage to non-native plants and trees that aren't properly sheltered. Local officials and residents are being urged to prepare for the impending cold as highs on Sunday are anticipated to struggle, remaining in the 40s north of Orlando, and barely reaching the low 50s south of Melbourne despite full sunshine.
Marine conditions are equally grim, with dangerous Gale conditions forecasted to develop over the Atlantic waters by Saturday night. Mariners should expect rapidly worsening sea conditions with forecasts predicting fully developed seas of 14-16 feet in the Gulf Stream. NW winds, initially at 15 kt this morning, will eventually give way to sustained Gale-force winds, and gusts approaching storm-force.
The aviation sector isn't exempt either, with current VFR conditions expected to change as we head into the weekend. The National Weather Service Melbourne FL advises, northwesterly to northerly winds 5-10 kts this morning, shift northeasterly by the early afternoon, with light and variable winds from this evening through Friday morning.
This stark weather is also posing fire concerns for the area. The developing onshore wind today could push the lowest relative humidity values deeper over the interior, near 30 percent west of Orlando. Moisture increases Friday and Friday night ahead of a very strong cold front, but only isolated to scattered showers are forecast Friday night and early Saturday, states the forecast, warning that despite lighter winds initially, gusty conditions will fan out by Saturday afternoon behind the cold front.
