So far, the coldest air of the season will likely impact much of Florida, if not all of it, during the next two weeks. Temperatures will not suddenly drop significantly but steadily as several fronts push through from the north. The winds will remain constant from the north or northwest, not allowing the air mass to warm.
During the next 10 to 12 days, there will be 3 cold fronts moving through Florida. The first one will be on Saturday, January 4, bringing another push of cooler air and reinforcing dry air. A second front will push through the state around the middle of next week, between January 7 and 8, and the final cold front of this series, forecasts show that it should be exiting Florida late on Saturday, January 12. This final cold front shows the chance of flurries falling across the Panhandle. Still, as we often mentioned, with this type of long-range forecast, there will be changes, especially to the type of precipitation that could be falling and if any could fall. It is essential to know that there is a chance that the third cold front could likely fuse with a low-pressure system that will be moving along the Gulf States, which could keep enough moisture available to create a few snowflakes to fall over the Panhandle. We will monitor this evolution closely.
In the shorter term, temperatures will drop this weekend. Expect temperatures to be cold over the next few mornings, especially over the weekend. Across the Panhandle, lows on Saturday will be between the upper 30s and lower 40s, while lows on Sunday will be in the low to mid-50s across the western portion of the Panhandle, and as you move east over I-10 through North Florida, will be 40s.
Central Florida will experience a cold weekend with lows in the mid-40s. South Florida will have temperatures around sunrise in the 50s, and some inland areas closer to Lake Okeechobee could be closer to the upper 40s. Saturday afternoon will be a cold day across the entire Peninsula. Temperatures in South Florida will struggle to reach the 70s, and Central Florida will be in the mid to upper 60s. Cities and towns along I-10 will be between the upper 50s to the low 60s.
Please look out for our updates throughout the weekend and early next week. The weather forecast will vary, but our message is to expect temperatures that could be 15 to 20 degrees below average in the afternoon by mid-next week and possibly more by next weekend.
