First Fall Front Approaches Florida on First Day of Fall

September 21, 2021

Floridians usually have to wait much longer than the first day of autumn for that "fall feel" in the air. That won't be the case this year for those living north of I-4, as a noticeable cold front surges in.

The front will be approaching the Florida Panhandle Wednesday, sweeping across North Florida Wednesday night, then slowing to a crawl across Central Florida Thursday. The front will likely never make it to South Florida before it dissipates this weekend.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will mark the arrival of the front Wednesday afternoon and evening as it moves across the northern third of the state. Numerous thunderstorms will also likely develop across central and southern sections of the Sunshine State where deeper moisture resides. This trend will likely continue Thursday and Friday for locations along and south of where the boundary stalls.

Behind the front, temperatures and dew points will fall 5 to 10 degrees on average. The lower dew points will yield lower humidity values. THis will make the air mass noticeably more comfortable, especially during the evening and morning hours. Afternoon highs will fall to the upper 70s and lower 80s across the Panhandle and North Florida Thursday through Saturday, with overnight lows dipping into the 50s and 60s for the first time in several months.

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WATCHING CLOSELY

NHC: Low chance of tropical development in next five days.

Issued: 410 PM EDT Wed Apr 24 2024

East-Central Subtropical Atlantic:An area of low pressure located about 900 miles northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands has been producing a small but persistent area of showers and thunderstorms to the east of its center since this morning. However, the low is forecast to move southwestward at 10 to 15 mph into an area of stronger upper-level winds tonight and tomorrow, and additional development is not expected.

No additional Special Tropical Weather Outlooks are scheduled for this system unless conditions warrant. Regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlooks will resume on May 15, 2024, and Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as necessary during the remainder of the off-season.
Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent.
Formation chance through 7 days...low...10 percent.

$$Forecaster Berg/Brown NNNN

The cooler and drier air across the northern half of Florida will gradually be replaced with an increasingly warmer and humid air mass by early next week, and our eyes will then turn to the tropics. A future development, likely to become Tropical Storm Sam, is expected to move across the Atlantic Ocean next week. Unlike its predecessors Peter and Rose that turned north, long range forecast models suggest this system will be steered in more of a westerly direction and could approach the Leeward Islands or Bahamas in 8 to 10 days. However, it is far too soon to credibly project whether Sam will become a threat to the United States.

Expired, State of Florida, Tropical Weather

Cold Front, Fall

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Sources include nearest National Weather Service office, National Hurricane Center, and the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (@FloridaStorms).

Sources include nearby emergency management agencies, FEMA, and your local NPR affiliate.

Sources include the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Highway Patrol and other nearby traffic information.