ORLANDO, Fla. — After a brief round of rain this morning, we will be tracking strong winds through central Florida that will lead to critical fire danger by Monday.
This critical fire danger has prompted us to issue a Weather Alert Day for Monday.
Everyone will receive less than a 10th of an inch of rain today before the clouds move out in the early afternoon.
Once the clouds clear, the dry air will quickly take over, causing dew points to plunge over the next couple of days.
Consistent winds by mid-afternoon could reach 15 to 20 mph, and they will continue to increase late this evening and into tomorrow.
Wind gusts could reach 40-50mph in some areas between this evening and Tuesday.
If you pair the dry air with the strong winds that we will have after the front passes, we will be left with an elevated fire risk for Sunday.
These conditions will worsen on Monday, leading to a critical fire risk in parts of central Florida.
We will see potential wind gusts up to 40 mph and the driest air we have seen all year. If you pair that with the dead dry brush and the increasingly bad drought conditions, central Florida could see its worst fire risk in years.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for today and Monday due to all these factors. A red flag warning is issued when the conditions are right for a fire to spread very quickly if it were to start.
Cold temperatures will also follow this front. Afternoon highs in Orlando will be in the upper 50s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Overnight lows will drop into the 30s, but it’s unlikely we’ll see the city reach the freezing point.
Marion, Sumter, and parts of Lake County do have the potential to see 32 for an overnight low Tuesday morning.
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