Floridians enjoying November's warm weather may want to pull out their jackets for the weekend. A strong cold front is expected to sweep across the state later this week, bringing the coldest temperatures of the season so far, forecasters said.
Temperatures will remain near seasonal averages through Thursday before the cold front moves across west-central and southwest Florida Thursday night into early Friday, the National Weather Service's Tampa Bay office said in an Area Forecast Discussion issued on Wednesday.
Much colder and drier air will move into the region behind the front, bringing temperatures about 10 degrees below normal through Friday and the weekend. Overnight lows Friday and Saturday could dip into the upper 30s in some parts of the Nature Coast, according to NWS meteorologists.
Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for Tampa Bay 28, wrote in a social media post this week that the Tampa Bay area could even see temperatures as low as 15 degrees below average, with lows in the 40s and 50s and highs in the 60s and 70s, as the "big cooldown" hits the region later this week.
The front is expected to bring the chilliest temperatures since March to the Tampa Bay area, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The front could also bring a few showers to parts of the Tampa Bay region, particularly farther south, but overall rainfall is expected to be limited, the NWS said.
Temperatures are expected to rebound relatively quickly early next week as the colder air mass moves out and winds shift to the east, bringing readings back closer to seasonal averages.
Fans of cooler weather shouldn't expect it to last long in the Tampa Bay area, Fox 13's Paul Dellegatto wrote in a social media post. "Quick hitting cold front will arrive Friday - the chill will not last long, by Sunday we will be back to near 80 degrees."
The coldest conditions during this cold snap are expected farther north in the state, where parts of North Florida could experience temperatures cold enough for frost.
The NWS office in Tallahassee said a blast of cold air is expected late this week and into the weekend, with a low to medium chance of frost in areas away from the coast.
In Northeast Florida, NWS forecasters in Jacksonville said Saturday morning wind chills could dip into the 30s as colder air moves into the region behind the front.
Even South Florida is expected to feel the effects of the cold front, although temperatures there will be milder than in northern parts of the state.
The front is expected to move through South Florida on Friday morning, bringing breezy conditions and the coolest air mass of the fall season so far, the NWS Miami office said.
Overnight temperatures Friday into Saturday could fall into the lower 50s around Lake Okeechobee and interior parts of Southwest Florida, while most other areas could see lows in the mid to upper 50s. Along the immediate east coast, temperatures could remain in the lower 60s.
Saturday's highs could reach only the upper 60s around Lake Okeechobee and the lower 70s elsewhere in South Florida, forecasters said.
The cold snap comes during a year that an expected record-strong El Niño climate pattern could bring more frequent cold fronts and stronger storms to Florida and the Southeast this winter and spring, forecasters said.
These storms could come with stronger and longer-lasting tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and higher chances for hail, according to the NWS.
"El Niño causes a southerly storm track. More frequent low-pressure systems develop [and] move across the peninsula as a result. Squall lines form with these systems, bringing increased chances for tornadoes, damaging winds [and] other coastal impacts," the agency's Tampa office posted to X.
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