The warmup is over: Chilly temps ahead for Central Florida

Our first cold front passed through has now reached South Florida and the adjacent waters.

Now, drier air is evident, driven by a northerly flow behind the front. On Monday night, overnight lows are anticipated to dip into the low to mid-50s along and north of I-4, with the southern regions experiencing temperatures in the mid-50s to low 60s.

The night is expected to remain quiet with a partly to mostly cloudy sky.

On Monday night, the low will be 57.

Looking ahead to midweek, a reinforcing front is poised to traverse the region late Tuesday into Wednesday, ushering in cooler conditions. Wednesday morning lows are adjusted downward, particularly for areas north of Interstate 4.

Although Leesburg and Daytona Beach are currently forecasted at 49 and 48 degrees, Wednesday will not only bring cooler temperatures but also drier and windier conditions, with gusty northwest winds at 10 to 15 mph, potentially reaching 20 to 25 mph intermittently.

Clouds will dissipate from north to south throughout the day, setting the stage for a cold and mostly clear/partly cloudy Wednesday night.

Looking further into Thursday to Sunday, even colder temperatures are anticipated Thursday morning pre-dawn, ranging from the low 40s inland to the upper 40s/low 50s along the coast.

There is a possibility of the forecast trending colder, especially across inland and interior sections of east central Florida.

Models suggest temperatures falling below 39 degrees in far western Lake and Volusia counties. Despite light northerly winds, wind chill factors of 40 and below are expected across western Volusia, Lake, and far northwestern Orange counties Thursday morning.

Lots of sunshine is forecasted to aid temperature rebound into the mid-60s to low 70s by the afternoon as surface flow shifts to the east-northeast.