The coldest temperatures of the season are expected to make their way into Central Florida this week — just in time for Christmas.
After a pleasant start to the work week, the first of two fronts will arrive by Tuesday. Steady rain will begin to stream in from west to east by the evening through the overnight hours.
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This front will make way for a much stronger front to move in a few days later.
Until then, a few scattered showers will linger, with highs running near normal in the low 70s, and low in the 60s.
The second and stronger Arctic cold front will be knocking on Central Florida’s door late Thursday night and Friday morning.
Friday morning will feature a very mild start to the cold with a few scattered showers. The front will push through later Friday morning, taking temperatures from the 60s in the morning to the 40s and lower 50s by the afternoon.
Temperatures will bottom out in the 20s and low 30s across Central Florida by Saturday morning. The high on Saturday will only warm to the high 40s.
With temperatures that cold, the potential for frost and freeze will be high.
It will be a touch warmer Christmas Day, but it will still go down as one of the coldest Christmases on record for the state.
This will rival Central Florida’s Christmas in 2020 in terms of the temperature, which remains the sixth coldest Christmas in Orlando. This year’s Christmas will be well within the top 10 coldest on record.