ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s gotten pretty chilly outside, and it didn’t take long to do so. In fact, our air temperatures rapidly sunk when compared to our record highs back on Saturday and especially Sunday.
We haven’t quite gotten to the main event just yet. Think of this morning’s freeze and chill as the appetizer to your entree. I guess I should say, Mother Nature’s entree, as I’d imagine a good majority of us would never wish this type of cold on Floridians!
If you’ve waited to gear up for this extreme bout of frigid winter weather, the clock is indeed ticking. Today, I want to spend some time helping to equip you for what to expect in your local area.
Let’s venture across our area together
Downtown Orlando is most definitely expected to drop into the mid-20s. Our computer models are all in unanimous agreement that we will drop well below the freezing threshold. This isn’t based on one or two runs, or one or two individual models, either.
Orange County as a whole should prepare for Sunday morning air temps right around the mid 20s. 25 degrees would be a very good forecast from this far out, as data continues to come together and we build even more confidence before the event begins.
Keep in mind, some of our more urban or even the greater metropolitan areas might “feel” a tad warmer, because of what industrial landscapes do to insolate warmth. We’ll save that discussion for closer to spring or summer.
Also, if you’re curious to know how this weekend’s cold stacks up to some of our historical extremes, come on over to my article HERE where I delve a bit into some of the most absurd bouts of winter weather we’ve experienced in Central Florida through recorded history.
Next up, let’s head on down south to my old stomping grounds - Osceola County. Orange and Osceola are close neighbors, especially between Orlando and Kissimmee. We’ll also want to prepare for air temps around 7 a.m. of approximately 25 degrees.
Now, sticking with our four corners counties, while you may not be in our official viewing area, Polk County gives us a lot of love and we want to share it back with you. The Lakeland area will also be around 25 degrees, with outerlying more rural suburbs feeling a touch colder than that, since we don’t have the same industrial effects we see in the Orlando sector of Central Florida.
Up north, Lake and Sumter counties will also feel pretty similar. The further you are away from major roadways, construction, cityscapes, the less trapped warmth you’ll be able to find. Combine our freezing air with ripping northwesterly winds and a lack of anything to keep warm stuck low in the atmosphere and it’ll be VERY COLD.
Right now, we’re tracking morning lows at wake-up coming in at a whopping 22-23 degrees.
Let’s trek eastward once again and get to Seminole County. You’ll likely mirror what your friends and neighbors just a hair south in Orlando, Orange County will be feeling in the mid 20s.
Finally, for our interior folks, Marion County. Marion County residents, I hope you are reading right now, and rummaging through our cold-weather preparedness articles. Your area will BATTLE to see 20 degrees, with overnight lows projected to just nudge toward 21-22 degrees during the coldest portion of Sunday morning.
Of course, I’d never exclude our coastal viewers out there! You’re all a special case and I’ll briefly touch on why. The coastline gets a little help from the Gulf Stream current right off the immediate shoreline. The Gulf Stream is a warm current of water that comes from the Gulf and further south out of the Caribbean Sea.
It helps to modify air temps, making it warmer than what the rest of us may be experiencing.
This little advantage will be entirely absent this weekend. Flagler, Volusia, and Brevard counties should prepare for below-freezing air temperatures measuring between 25 and 29 degrees. Brevard will likely be the spot to come down to freezing, if not a couple degrees below 32. Volusia and Flagler, we’ll dip into the 20s without a shadow of a doubt.
To tie us all into a lovely bundle, everyone will feel the CRANKING post-frontal winds behind the leading edge of the freezing air mass. Sustained winds will be between 15 and 20 miles per hour, with some computer models hinting at the potential for tropical storm force wind gusts on occasion.
This will take our feels like temps into the gutter. While the air temps might not be all that intimidating for those of you who’ve experienced some very cold weather, single-digit to low-mid TEENS are what it will feel like for you and me.
If you have any questions or lingering concerns, feel free to drop our weather team a line. Be sure to continue checking back with us as the week progresses.
[BELOW: How to properly protect plants during freeze]