Cold in Florida, January 24, 2003

EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
304 AM EST FRI JAN 24 2003

...RECORD BREAKING COLD THIS MORNING WITH WIND CHILLS REMAINING
   BELOW FREEZING UNTIL LATE THIS MORNING...

TODAY AND TONIGHT...THE CHILL HANGS ON TODAY WITH A COLD NORTH FLOW
OVER THE AREA KEEPING TEMPERATURES FROM GETTING OUT OF THE 40S...AND
THE WIND CHILLS WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING THROUGH MOST OF THE CWA
INTO THE LATE MORNING HOURS. MODELS VEER H85 FLOW TO NELY COMPONENT
TODAY WHICH WILL ALLOW SOME COLD AIR STRATOCU TO ADVECT ONSHORE THE
COAST. BY TONIGHT THE 00Z MESOETA INDICATES THE H85 FLOW WILL VEER
MORE ENE AND ADVECT MORE CLOUDS AND MOISTURE ONSHORE. THIS WILL HELP
BRING UP DEW POINTS AND KEEP MINS FROM GETTING AS COLD. COASTAL
COUNTIES FROM BREVARD SOUTHWARD SHOULD BE SPARED FROM FREEZING
TEMPS...WHILE VOLUSIA CO AND NORTHERN INTERIOR SECTIONS ARE EXPECTED
TO DROP BELOW FREEZING AGAIN...BUT NOT GET QUITE AS COLD AS THIS
MORNING. PLAN TO ISSUE A FREEZE WARNING THESE AREAS WITH THE MORNING
PACKAGE. ANOTHER ITEM OF CONCERN OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY WILL BE
FROST AS WINDS DECREASE TO AROUND 5 MPH LATE AND DEW POINTS RISE.
THE FROST MAY AFFECT MUCH OF THE CWA EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE FREEZE AREA
AS TEMPS IN THE MID/UPPER 30S WILL STILL BE COLD ENOUGH FOR FROST
FORMATION.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...THE WEEKEND IS SHAPING UP TO BE COOL BUT
PLEASANT. SFC HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE SE STATES WILL SLIDE
EAST ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COAST BY LATE SATURDAY. LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL
GRADUALLY VEER MORE ELY AS THIS OCCURS WITH CONTINUED GRADUAL
MODERATION OF MOISTURE AND TEMPS. MODELS ARE TRYING TO GENERATE A
LITTLE PRECIP OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY WITH SUBTROPICAL JET ENHANCEMENT
BUT WILL WATCH THIS THROUGH NEXT COUPLE OF RUNS BEFORE ADDING INTO
ZONES. MAX TEMPS SHOULD TOP OUT IN THE UPPER 50S/LOWER 60S IN CWA
SATURDAY AND THEN THE MID/UPPER 60S ON SUNDAY.

MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...REINFORCING FRONT WILL SWEEP DOWN THE
PENINSULA ON MONDAY WITH DRY AND COOL HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN
BEHIND IT. ONLY A SLOW MODERATION IN TEMPS THROUGH THE MID WEEK.

MARINE...WINDS HOWLING OVER THE COASTAL WATERS EARLY THIS MORNING
WITH GALE FORCE GUSTS OCCURRING...AND SEAS RUNNING AROUND 10 FT AT
BUOY 41009. WHILE THE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO LET UP SOMEWHAT HEADING
TOWARD THIS AFTERNOON...SHOULD REMAIN AOA 20KT THROUGH A GOOD PART
OF THE DAYTIME HOURS. EVEN AS THE WINDS DECLINE...SEAS WILL BE A BIT
SLOWER TO FOLLOW SUIT AND SO SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS MAY
PERSIST UNTIL LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY SATURDAY. CONTINUATION OF
NORTHERLY WIND COMPONENT INTO THE WEEKEND WILL KEEP SEAS HIGHER IN
THE GULF STREAM.

FIRE WX...SUB 35 PERCENT RH WAS REALIZED BEFORE MIDNIGHT IN MANY
LOCATIONS DUE TO SINGLE DIGIT DEWPOINTS. FOR TODAY...SLIGHT VEERING
OF WINDS ADVERTISED THIS MORNING WL BRING MARINE MODIFIED AIR TO
COASTAL SECTIONS...THEREBY PRECLUDING FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. OVER
THE INTERIOR VERY LOW DEWPOINTS COMBINED WITH RH AND HIGHER WIND
SPEEDS WILL KEEP RED FLAG CONDITIONS THIS MORNING AND THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON. WILL UPGRADE WATCH TO RED FLAG WARNING FOR ALL INTERIOR
AREAS. NO HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE COASTAL ZONES.

PRELIM CCF...
DAB UB 046/029 058/039 064 000
MCO UB 047/032 060/041 067 000
MLB BB 049/035 061/043 068 000

.MLB...WIND CHILL ADVISORY THROUGH 11 AM ALL OF EC FLORIDA.
    ...FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT LAKE/VOLUSIA/SEMINOLE/ORANGE
        AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES.
    ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLAGLER BEACH TO JUPITER INLET.
    ...RED FLAG WARNING TODAY INTERIOR VOLUSIA AND ALL
        INTERIOR COUNTIES OF EC FL.

PUBLIC/MARINE...GLITTO
AVIATION/FIRE...PENDERGRAST

AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147-
241700-

EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
612 AM EST FRI JAN 24 2003

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY THIS MORNING...
...FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT FOR LAKE...VOLUSIA...SEMINOLE...ORANGE...
   AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES...
...SCATTERED FROST ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA TONIGHT...

THE ARCTIC AIR MASS THAT HAS PRODUCED THE RECORD COLD READINGS IN
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA THIS MORNING WILL KEEP ITS GRIP ON THE AREA
TODAY. EVEN AS TEMPERATURES RISE THIS MORNING...WIND CHILLS WILL
REMAIN BELOW FREEZING THROUGH LATE MORNING. BEFORE HEADING OUTDOORS
THIS MORNING...PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE COLD CHILL BY WEARING
SEVERAL LAYERS OF CLOTHING AND A HAT.

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONTINUES ON THE COASTAL WATERS TODAY WITH
GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OF AROUND 25 KNOTS AND 8 TO 10 FOOT SEAS.

ALSO...THERE IS A VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER TODAY. GUSTY NORTH WINDS
COMBINED DRY VEGETATION AND WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL CAUSE
ANY NEW OR EXISTING WILDFIRES TO SPREAD RAPIDLY.

WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE TONIGHT WHILE MOISTURE LEVELS SLOWLY
INCREASE. THIS WILL MAKE FROST FORMATION LIKELY IN EAST CENTRAL
FLORIDA OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY...AND TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO
DROP BELOW FREEZING OVER THE NORTHERN SECTIONS.

PERSONS IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA SHOULD CONTINUE TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS
AGAINST THE COLD. HOUSE AND APARTMENT FIRES POSE THE GREATEST THREAT
TO LIFE DURING COLD OUTBREAKS IN FLORIDA. MAKE SURE YOUR FURNACE...
FIREPLACE OR SPACE HEATER IS WORKING PROPERLY...WELL VENTILATED AND
ISOLATED FROM FLAMMABLE MATERIAL SUCH AS DRAPERIES...PILLOWS OR
CLOTHING. PEOPLE SHOULD COVER TENDER PLANTS AND VEGETATION OR BRING
THEM INDOORS. PETS ALSO NEED PROTECTION IN COLD WEATHER. KEEP PETS
INSIDE IF POSSIBLE...AND ENSURE OUTDOOR PETS HAVE WARM DRY SHELTER.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY MODERATE OVER THE WEEKEND...THEN COLD AIR
WILL BE REINFORCED BY ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE STATE
ON MONDAY. TEMPERATURES MAY APPROACH FREEZING OVER THE NORTHERN
SECTIONS TUESDAY MORNING.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION GO ONLINE TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV...AND CLICK
ON EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA.

GLITTO