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Orlando PM Weather Forecast: Temps on the climb, when could we hit 80?
After a few cold days, some changes are on the horizon. Meteorologist T.J. Springer says that we'll be feeling the 80s soon. Tune in to see when the warmth arrives and when our next cold front moves in.
ORLANDO, Fla. - If you’re heading out of Orlando this weekend by car or plane, this is one of those situations where a little planning now can save you a major headache later.
While Florida stays on the warm side with highs near 80° Saturday and 70s Sunday, a potentially significant winter storm is setting up to disrupt travel across much of the Southeast late Saturday into Sunday. Impacts could linger into Monday.
The map above tells the story clearly: blue is snow, pink is ice, and green is rain. Those colors matter if you’re traveling north because they mark the line between passable roads and places where travel may become extremely difficult or impossible.
Road Travel: Conditions Change Fast
What To Expect:
A long duration system is arriving from the west.
What does this mean?
Rain will transition to wintry weather late Saturday, with icy conditions expanding through Sunday and Sunday night before the storm pushes into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast Monday.
A Major Southern Winter Storm is expected this weekend.
If you’re driving north on I-75, conditions may deteriorate rapidly once you reach southern Georgia, roughly near and north of Tifton. Roads can go from wet to icy in a short distance.
Along I-95, freezing rain becomes a concern around the Savannah area and worsens farther north into the Carolinas. Ice will be the primary issue here, especially on bridges, overpasses, and elevated roadways.
Farther north into Tennessee and Kentucky, snow becomes the dominant precipitation type. Some areas could see 12 to 18 inches of snow in a narrow corridor just north of the ice zone, with amounts tapering farther north.
Along I-95, freezing rain dominates the Carolinas before transitioning to snow from Virginia northward, with similar accumulation potential. For long-haul truckers or road trippers, Sunday night into Monday appears to be the most dangerous travel window, when large portions of the southeast and mid-Atlantic could see travel grind to a halt.
Flying: Expect Delays and Cancellations
If you’re flying out of Orlando on Sunday and Monday, or potentially through Tuesday, the weather in Central Florida won’t be the issue. However, your destination or connection might be.
Major hubs, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Memphis, Louisville, Raleigh, Durham, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York are all in the zone for snow or ice.
Ice is especially disruptive for aviation, and southern airports have limited equipment and experience handling significant winter weather.
Sunday and Monday are the highest risk days for flight delays and cancellations, particularly for early morning departures and connecting flights through Southern hubs. Even after the storm clears, lingering power outages are possible if ice accumulations reach one to three inches, which can bring down trees and power lines and complicate travel time recovery.
What's the bottom line?
This is not the winter storm to chase with the family to "see snow."
You’ll first encounter freezing rain and ice in Georgia before ever reaching the snow zone farther north. That ice can make roads extremely slick, lead to crashes, and shut down highways entirely.
A trip that normally takes nine hours could easily double in duration, turning into a long and potentially dangerous drive.
Meanwhile, Florida stays warm and mainly dry. Many people here will only hear about this storm on the news while enjoying spring-like weather. But once you head north, winter returns in a serious way, and impacts can extend well beyond where snow actually falls.
If you can travel before late Saturday, or wait until midweek next week, you’ll avoid most of the problems. This is the kind of storm where preparation matters, and local residents in the affected areas will be stocking up and planning to stay put.
What's next:
The FOX 35 Storm Team will continue monitoring this system closely and keep you updated as confidence increases.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from FOX 35's Brooks Garner.