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Press Release
Spring might come early to Florida
From the Florida Public Emergency Radio Network
Ice, snow, multiple freezes and bitter wind chills – it has been a frigid winter so far in Florida. But spring could come early to the Sunshine State thanks to the effects of La Niña finally taking hold.
How Cold Has It Been?
Wind chills reached the teens this past week as far south as Orlando, and freezing temperatures were noted as far south as Punta Gorda. In fact, the National Weather Service Tampa Bay tweeted that more than a dozen record lows were either tied or broken Thursday morning.
The winter as a whole was expected to be warm in Florida due to the well-known correlation between La Niña and the wind patterns across North America. However, the mean temperature in nearly every city so far has been near or below average, this according to data collected from the Southeast Regional Climate Center Saturday.
TOP TEN COLDEST CITIES THIS WINTER
Departures from normal 12/1/2017 – 1/20/2018
| Gainesville………….. | -1.0º |
| Ft. Lauderdale…….. | -0.9º |
| Naples………………… | -0.9º |
| Ocala………………….. | -0.9º |
| Pensacola……………. | -0.7º |
| Orlando………………. | -0.6º |
| Tallahassee…………. | -0.5º |
| Ft. Pierce…………….. | -0.4º |
| Daytona Beach…….. | -0.4º |
| Key West…………….. | -0.3º |
| West Palm Beach…. | -0.3º |
The fronts in early January weren’t just cold. They were extreme. In fact, ice and snow fall in northern parts of the state not just once, but twice! Both times, the jet stream (or steering current aloft) was directing air from the North Pole straight at Florida. And because it persisted for days, it’s no surprise that the winter has been colder than normal up to this point.
Thawing This Week
While extreme warmth isn’t expected anytime soon, there is evidence to suggest the season’s coldest may be behind us. The state began to thaw out this weekend, as a ridge of higher pressure moved in aloft and the north winds ceased. Temperatures reached the 70s in most areas south of I-10 Sunday, and highs will likely top 70 across the entire state Monday. Inland areas of South Florida could even warm to the lower 80s Tuesday, which would be nearly 10 degrees above normal for this time of year.
The next cold front to move into Florida will arrive Tuesday, but it will be weak thanks to the flip in the overall pattern. The air mass trailing this front has origins over the Pacific rather than the Arctic. Even though temperatures will cool off some behind it Wednesday and Thursday, they will only be near average for late January and rebound quickly by the weekend. Daytime highs Wednesday and Thursday will range from the upper 50s north to the lower 70s south, and overnight lows will primarily range from near 40 in the panhandle to near 60 in South Florida.
