Cold blast, freezes and fire danger follow last week's heat
A strong cold has ended Florida’s run of 80-degree heat, and will bring a freeze threat to parts of the state and fueling heightened wildfire danger amid dry, windy conditions.
Fast-moving brush fires have torn through bone-dry vegetation across Florida this February.
Sweeping changes are coming to Florida as near-record heat has been swapped by much colder air this weekend. An ongoing lack of rain, some wind and dry brush will raise the risk of wildfires once again.
Cold blast to end the warmth
Orlando, Jacksonville and other communities across northern Florida were close to record highs Saturday, with temperatures climbing well into the 80s.
The spotty showers trailing the cold front across central and southern Florida this past weekend did little to ease the dry conditions.
Behind the front, gusty northwest winds ushered in a big cooldown and quickly dried out any dampened brush once again.
The coldest stretch in the front’s wake will occur into Tuesday morning. Temperatures will dip below freezing from north of Orlando into the Florida Panhandle, which should prompt home gardeners and agricultural interests to cover sensitive plants or bring them indoors. A light frost is possible Tuesday morning across interior central Florida, but it is not expected to impact the citrus crop.
In the coldest spots in the early morning, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures could dip into the 20s.
Visitors to the theme parks around Orlando should dress in layers through Tuesday.
Fire risk returns
Dry northwest winds allowed a fire threat to expand across much of southern Florida into Monday night. The elevated fire risk came less than a week after a brush fire destroyed a plant nursery in Kissimmee, Florida.
The use of open flames, power equipment or anything that may produce sparks and burning embers is strongly discouraged even through Tuesday, experts advise. Cigarette butts should be properly extinguished.
An intensifying drought will exacerbate the fire risk.
The second-highest drought category, extreme drought, has expanded by 62% across Florida over the past month. Through Feb. 19, Jacksonville is experiencing its 18th-driest start to the year on record with 1.75 inches of rain, while Orlando is having its 13th-driest start with 1.14 inches. Meanwhile, more than 60% of Louisiana and 23% of Mississippi are in a drought.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, a key indicator of wildfire potential, is high across most of the state and in the very high to extreme category across southern Florida.
Drought to persist later this week
The winds will relax by Tuesday, easing the fire threat a bit, but the humidity will remain low, so extra care should still be exercised.
Wednesday will be somewhat more humid, which should significantly reduce the fire risk. However, meaningful rain is not expected until late this week or next weekend, allowing the drought to continue full throttle.
The fire risk is not expected to ease anytime soon. A higher-than-average brush fire risk is expected in Florida throughout the spring, according to AccuWeather's long-range team of meteorologists.
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