ORLANDO, Fla. – After seeing the warmest start to February on record, it looks like winter isn’t over just yet as another arctic blast is setting up to arrive for the end of the week.
A seasonal Tuesday is on tap across the area with highs reaching the low to mid 70s. However, cooler waters off the coast could keep temperatures a bit cooler, with highs in the upper 60s along Volusia County’s coast. As moisture increases in the low-level east-southeast winds, we’ll see cloud cover gradually increasing through the day while conditions remain dry.
With added clouds overnight, lows are expected to remain mild in the mid to upper 50s north of Orlando and low to mid-60s elsewhere.
Big changes arrive Wednesday as an area of low pressure near the northern Gulf Coast will move east across northern and Central Florida, dragging a cold front through by late afternoon and early Wednesday evening.
As this system moves through, rain chances will pick up with the highest chance (60-70%) north of Orlando, with 30-50% chances farther south as the line weakens. There could be a few storms, but instability looks pretty low, so the risk of severe weather remains minimal. Before the rain arrives, temperatures are expected to rebound into the upper 70s to low 80s.
After the front passes, cooler and drier air will settle in overnight, with lows dropping into the 50s for most of the region by early Thursday.
Much colder air settles in starting Thursday as winds shift out of the northeast.
Highs through the rest of the week are expected to remain in the mid 60s under mostly sunny skies.
The coldest point of the week will be Thursday night into Friday morning, with lows in the 30s northwest of I-4 and in the 40s elsewhere.
The weekend will start to warm up a bit as onshore winds continue, but temperatures will still be near or below normal. Saturday will bring highs in the mid-60s to low 70s, with overnight lows in the 50s.
As we head into Sunday, there’s still some disagreement between weather models about rain chances.
The GFS shows more rain due to a weak disturbance pushing through, while the EURO trends much drier. For now, expect a slight chance of rain (20-30%) through Sunday, with drier conditions likely returning early next week.