A powerful Arctic cold front is set to bring near-freezing temperatures to Florida’s Panhandle and North Florida, with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee issuing frost and freeze warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Temperatures are forecast to drop into the 30s with freezing to sub-freezing wind chill temperatures that may be more “impactful than normal” given the summer-like weather over the preceding days.
“This is probably the last big cold front for the year for Florida,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Da Silva. “Not to say there can’t be another front, but in terms of really significant freezing temperatures, this is probably the last one.” The storm tracking across the Plains and into the Great Lakes will pull down Arctic-chilled Canadian air that will hit hardest late Monday, March 16, through Wednesday, March 18.
Palm Beach County will experience a dramatic temperature swing, dropping from highs in the mid-80s on Monday to the upper 60s on Tuesday. For Monday, March 16, the county can expect mostly sunny skies with showers likely and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon, with highs in the mid-80s. Nighttime temperatures will plummet to the upper 50s with a chance of thunderstorms.
Tuesday, March 17, will bring much cooler conditions across South Florida, with highs in the upper 60s after morning showers and thunderstorms. Overnight temperatures will remain steady in the lower 60s. The normal daytime high in South Florida for this time of year is about 81 degrees with a normal overnight low of 66 degrees.
Spring breakers visiting Disney World should prepare for significant temperature drops, with highs plummeting from the low 80s on Monday to near 60 degrees on Tuesday. Wednesday morning in Orlando could see temperatures drop into the 40s, though mostly sunny skies are expected with a high of 66 degrees during the day.
The cold front will be accompanied by substantial rainfall across the state, with some isolated areas around Tampa potentially receiving 4 to 6 inches of rain over seven days, according to Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the Tampa office of the National Weather Service. High-end rainfall in South Florida could reach 2 to 3 inches. Meteorologists at the NWS office in Melbourne warned that if the cold front clashes with peak daytime heating, gusty storms are possible Monday.
Da Silva recommends Panhandle residents, especially in the western reaches, bring in any cold-sensitive plants they may have moved outside. “People will want to take precautions,” he said. “Anyone who put plants out early will want to take them inside or cover them up.” While he doesn’t expect the cold weather to affect citrus or other crops, it could damage cold-sensitive potted plants.
The timing coincides with ongoing drought conditions across Florida, with about 73% of the state experiencing extreme drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s March 12 report. The extreme drought represents a level 3 on a 4-tier drought severity scale. The cold front should clear the state Tuesday and stall over Cuba with the potential for showers lingering in Central and South Florida through the week.
Despite the cold temperatures, some businesses are adapting to the conditions. Cameron Flynn, owner of Panama City Beach Bonfires, said the possibility of near-freezing temperatures hasn’t slowed his spring break business. “In the winter season when people are here and it’s cold, it makes the bonfires more attractive,” Flynn said. “So, it’s a good thing when it cools down, but we do them in July too.”
Temperatures are expected to return to normal by Thursday, March 19, with highs in the mid-70s across most of the state. The cold front represents what forecasters believe will likely be the last significant freeze threat for Florida this season.