ORLANDO, Fla. – What goes up, always has to come down inevitably in the world of weather. In this case, Sunday we set a few different warm temperature records here in the Central Florida area.
Now as those highs go away, we should all be bracing and holding on to our coats as the coldest air of the season quite possibly arrives later this week.
I hope you’re noticing a trend here: It gets warm, then cold, warmer and then colder, finally EVEN WARMER - then the coldest we’ve seen yet through this winter season.
There’s always a natural ebbing and flowing that goes on with Mother Nature, and that’s what eventually allows you to become a quality forecaster, especially for you wonderful folks at home.
But anyway, I wanted to quickly rehash some prep and precautions we have to take through Monday night and Tuesday as the colder air rushes in. Then, we’ve got another storm system sweeping through the southeast that’s going to dip our temperatures DEEP into the trenches of winter time.
For your Monday night, the change in air mass will already be felt. This could happen for a lot of us as early as 7-8 p.m. just after sunset and the loss of that afternoon warmth provided by our lovely sun.
Freeze warnings are active for almost everyone. When you split our viewing area in half at a diagonal angle, using I-4 as your vantage point, if you reside on the west side or northwest side of the freeway, that’s where our freeze warnings are live.
They go into effect beginning at midnight and last until 9 a.m. Counties included currently are:
- Flagler
- Lake
- Marion
- Sumter
- Volusia
Freeze watches encompass the remainder of the Central Florida region. So while you may not be beneath a warning area, National Weather Service is monitoring your spot for the potential of a warning being issued for the frigid temps.
It’s HIGHLY advised, and I almost want to say it should be mandatory, you immediately make sure your cars are prepped. Check electrical and ignition systems now. Make sure tires are well inflated, you don’t have any noticeable leaks otherwise you may wake up Tuesday or Wednesday morning with a flat. If not, more!
Please bring your pets inside, and any vegetation or plants you want to save from the cold, dry spell. Check on your neighbors, the elderly and any friends or family who may not be fully in the loop on the magnitude of what’s coming our way not only by Monday night but for the rest of January.
Let your faucets drip at a slow pace if you’re further north of Orlando. Check your pipes, and run through the same preventative measures you did for our first arctic outbreak two weeks ago.
These freezing temperatures won’t be in a rush to get up out of Florida either. They’re looking to pitch a tent and spend sometime with all of us through to the first few days of February. That’s when things get pretty “spectacular,” in the not-so-nice way of using that word.
We’ll have a more thorough breakdown on the secondary, reinforcing plunge of arctic air coming down from Canada and the Polar Vortex. It’s also expected to bump our rain chances up a noticeable amount through late Friday and Saturday which is incredibly beneficial given our current circumstances.
There’s even some very subtle, VERY subtle hints of potential wintry precipitation for Florida if parameters all line up at the perfect time. They’d need to be in sync to do so, which we’ll also happily breakdown for you in a separate piece.