ORLANDO, Fla. – After a warm start to January, a cold front sweeping into the Southeast will plunge temperatures through the weekend, making things feel more like winter again.
The warmth experienced by the South and Midwest on Thursday, which helped spawn a deadly tornado outbreak, will make way for temperatures more typical of January to return on Friday.
The cold front continues to slide southward Friday and will drop temperatures across the entire eastern third of the U.S. by Saturday – even across Florida. The Sunshine State hasn’t experienced a chill like this since Christmas, which prompted freeze alerts across much of the state and left iguanas in South Florida in cold-stunned comas.
In North Florida, gusty winds up to 30 mph will keep high temperatures in the 50s and 60s before taking a plunge on Saturday.
Wind chills in Jacksonville, Florida, will be in the 20s Saturday morning, with actual temperatures in the 30s or even the upper 20s Sunday morning.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking rain and isolated thunderstorms across east-central Florida on Friday, overlapping with Wind Chill advisories that are in effect through Saturday morning.
FAA GROUND STOP, SEVERE WEATHER THREAT MAY HAVE LASTING RIPPLE EFFECT ON FLIGHT DELAYS ACROSS US
Behind the cold front, Orlando and inland Central Florida will see wind chills in the 30s and 40s throughout the weekend. The forecast wind chill Saturday morning is as low as 28 degrees in Daytona Beach, Florida.
In South Florida, daytime highs will struggle to crack 60 degrees even as far south as Miami. By Sunday, Miami could wake up to temperatures in the lower 40s.
The National Weather Service in Miami has yet to issue a “falling iguana forecast.” That’s something to look out for if temperatures stay in the 40s and 50s for an extended period of time, which the forecast suggests, especially in inland South Florida.
However, Florida’s taste of winter will be brief as warmer temperatures begin to arrive on Monday.