ORLANDO, Fla. – Northern Florida is currently doing battle with our arctic frontal boundary producing strong winds, frequent lightning, and pockets of locally heavy rainfall.
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The Storm Prediction Center still has our viewing area almost to its entirety blanketed by a marginal risk for garden-variety severe weather. Today we continue to monitor the low-end risk for a funnel cloud or isolated tornado.
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Winds outside are gusting out of the southwest, a sign of warm air surging out of the Gulf of Mexico helping to increase moisture and humidity before the front arrives. This is what we’re closely pinpointing, because the more moisture and energy we can pump into our environment will increase the chance we realize strong storms and the tornado risk.
The worst impacts are slated to begin around 10-11 a.m. for our northern viewing counties. Models have slightly adjusted where our greatest risk of rotating thunderstorms could exist, a hair further north than where we saw yesterday. But regardless, everyone will see rain and a thunderstorm or two before the day is concluded.
We’re forecasting an end to our heavy rain and thunderstorm impacts by around the early evening time frame. Some folks in Brevard and southern Osceola could still be feeling the effects of our cold front, but the majority of Central Floridians will be in the clear. From there, temperatures will begin to plummet.
Winds will also stay elevated on both sides of the front itself. The warm air coming up out of the Gulf interacting with the nose of cold air is driving wind speeds up to around 20-30 mph in some spots as of this morning. Once the front moves past your area, they will transition to a northerly direction helping to force as much cold air across the state as possible.
As a result, prepare accordingly tomorrow morning for wind chills that could feel below freezing especially if you live north of the Interstate 4 corridor.
Finally, into Tuesday and extended through Thursday, Florida should anticipate widespread rainfall. Forecast models are nearly locked in for the chances of wintry precipitation into the Panhandle and the upper quarter of the peninsula. There has been a retreat in our snow chances for Gainesville and Ocala, but we cannot rule out the possibility of some icing and a very occasional mix of cold rain or sleet/pellets.
All-in-all, everyone will see impacts in one way, shape or form this week! Check us out on our social media pages for more in-depth breakdowns, as well as visuals in greater detail highlighting what your chances are of receiving what type of weather in your neighborhood.
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