Front brings storms, cold air to Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. – The official start of the next season is nearly two weeks away, but the Orlando area will get a taste of "Florida winter" over the weekend, with temperatures plummeting into the 30s in some areas.

"We are pinpointing major changes with the forecast for the next couple of days," News 6 meteorologist Troy Bridges said.

A stalled front across Central Florida will wobble to the north Friday morning, leading to an unstable pattern throughout the day.

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"Expect on and off light rain through the afternoon," Bridges said. "By the evening hours, rain chances go up considerably, especially after 7 o’clock. Expect rain chances and storms at 100 percent into early Saturday."

There is a risk of severe storms as a new front moves in from the north late Friday.

"This new front to the north will bring the colder air for the weekend," Bridges said. "Because of the stationary front on top of Central Florida, the front in northern Florida will not arrive as soon as first projected."

High temperatures on Friday will range from the 60s in the northern part of the region to the 80s in far southern sections of the area.

"The warmup all depends on the proximity of the stationary front and the timing of the new front that moves in from the north," Bridges said. "This entire setup is a very complicated, especially considering the timing of the colder air. We can’t rule out stronger storms that could produce lightning and strong wind gusts.  Although the risk is low, there could be a couple of rotating storms, mainly late Friday into early Saturday."

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Rain chances will end for the most part by noon Saturday.

"Then the front to the north will push in and much cooler air will build in," he said.

Expect highs in the 50s on Saturday and for Sunday.

Morning lows will be in the 50s on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to drop into the 30s and 40s on Sunday and Monday.

Universal Orlando announced Friday that its water park, Volcano Bay, will be closed Saturday and Sunday because of cold weather.

High temperatures will be in the 60s from Monday through Thursday.

Watch News 6 for updates.