ORLANDO, Fla. – Are you just about fed up with the rains? Ready for some more sunshine and maybe even a touch of cooler temperatures to go along with the clearer skies?
We’ve had a corridor of moisture being funneled directly into Florida for the last several days. Late last week, after all of our previously named tropical systems raced eastward across the central and North Atlantic, their combined efforts yanked a large area of surface high pressure down through the Appalachians, the Mid-Atlantic, and the western shores of the U.S.
Outlining this push of high pressure was a cold front, now having gone stationary as its washed out over southern Florida, the eastern Gulf, back through to the northern Bahama islands.
This was the perfect set up to really channel some deep moisture and gusty winds due east to west across Central Florida.
Day by day we’ve been plagued with on-and-off, fast-moving showers. Heavier rains inundated coastal areas of Volusia and Brevard counties.
Just Sunday night we had a training stream of moderate to heavy rainfall that would NOT let up over Osceola and Brevard counties.
Drier air is now wrapping around the northern and eastern halves of our high pressure due north of Florida. As it moves through the clockwise flow around the high’s center, it will make it to Florida no later than Wednesday.
While it will still be muggy, the mid-to-upper levels of our local atmosphere will dry out pretty good, meaning FINALLY a reduction in these daytime rain chances.
From here it gets better. We’re awaiting the arrival of some extra energy flowing through our jet stream up north. As it comes down, it will extend a trough of cooler air across the central and southern U.S. eventually positioning itself across the upper Gulf coast ripping toward the southeast by Friday.
This should instigate the development of a low pressure to our south or southeast. Don’t worry - this one isn’t tropical!
It will actually help to reinforce this shot of cooler, drier air coming down from our neighbors up north. Rain chances will climb back up again as it does come down, naturally colliding with what’s left of this maritime tropical air that’s been settled over us for a considerable stretch of time.
By Saturday though, the front should be through. Forecast models are predicting anywhere from overnight lows reaching into the low 60s, and afternoon high’s maybe not making it past 80 degrees for some of us Floridians!
We’ll also wake up to noticeably lower humidity throughout the state. Meaning when the temps drop, we’ll actually feel it too! It won’t be the soupy set-up we’re used to here in the Sunshine state.
This fairly dry set up should prevail for at least another five to seven days after its initial swing through the state. I wish I could say the cooler temps would last, but as we all know, Florida isn’t exactly synonymous with fall let alone winter conditions for very long.
But, you’ll absolutely need to take advantage while you can!