Busy times in the First Alert Weather Center as the weather pattern is an active one. The primary & strongest storm system will arrive over the weekend but there will be a system Wed. that will be followed by a quick but significant temp. drop. Let's go day by day:
* WED.: The front that rolled through the area Tue. is stalled across Central Fl. not too far from I-4. An upper level disturbance moving into the Eastern U.S. will spawn low pressure along the front over or near Fl. that will intensify as the low moves E/NE into the Atlantic. Southerly flow ahead of the low across the front will produce low clouds across the First Coast along with some light to moderate rain. As the low intensifies E/SE of Daytona, northeast onshore winds will increase in the afternoon & there will be a brief window for at least somewhat heavier rain - mainly over NE Fl. Rainfall should average a tenth of an inch or less across SE Ga....a tenth to a third of an inch near I-10 & a third to possibly a half inch south of Jax.
* THU.: Sunny but breezy & quite cool with highs only in the 60s.
* FRI.: Early morning lows in the 30s inland & as cold as 32-35 west of Highway 301 where there could be a bit of light, patchy frost.
* SAT.: A stationary or a slow northward-moving warm front will be near the Fl./Ga. border. Heavy rain & t'storms will occur near & north of the front. The exact location of the front will be critical as to where rain will be heaviest & most persistent. South of the front, any rain & storms will be more scattered with very warm temps. There will likely be at least some risk of a few severe storms close to the front.
* SUN.: The front will lift north as a low pressure system develops north & northwest of the First Coast. This low will swing a cold front across the area during the day triggering another round of heavy rain & storms with the potential for at least a few severe storms.
So stay tuned for updated First Alert forecasts this week. The good news is that we're in for some more much needed rain.
Astronomical spring officially arrives Wed. @ 7:02am EDT (diagram below from NOAA). That's when the sun will pass directly over the equator so day & night is almost equal (but not exactly because of the earth's elliptical [vs. circlular] orbit around the sun). From EarthCam -- click ** here **:
Celebrate the arrival of the season with EarthCam's collection of Spring Cams. Enjoy interesting views from around the world, including Rhode Island, California, South Africa, Italy and many more. Watch as the snow melts, the animals emerge and the flowers start to bloom!
