You probably heard the buzz, this Christmas could be a frigid one for most of the country!
The Climate Prediction Center temperature outlooks, and the weather forecast models project that an arctic blast will grip most of the nation for this year’s holiday.
The temperature outlooks are calling for a high probability of colder than average temperatures through the end of the month for a good two-thirds of the U.S., including right here in Florida.
We will iron out the forecast in the coming week as we close in on the Christmas weekend. However, it is looking pretty certain that temperatures for this year’s holiday will be much colder than normal.
The last “chilly” Christmas in Central Florida was not that long ago.
It was Christmas of 2020 when Orlando only reached a high temperature of 53 degrees, and the low was 38 degrees.
The afternoon high in the lower 50s was about 20 degrees colder than the average that year. It tied for the sixth coldest Christmas on record.
The average temperatures for Christmas in Orlando are 73 degrees for an afternoon high and around 51 degrees for a morning low.
The coldest Christmas in Orlando, and for most of Florida, was in 1983.
This is when the high temperature only hit 36 degrees and the low temperature was 21 degrees in Orlando.
In fact, we felt statewide the cold on this day in 1983. Northern Florida had temperatures dip into the teens.
Places like Tallahassee dipped to 14 degrees, with a high temperature of only 29 degrees. This was also Tallahassee’s coldest Christmas on record.
Jacksonville dropped to 11 degrees, with a high of only 30 degrees.
Miami was cold by Miami standards, but not as frigid as most of Florida. Miami had a high of 51 degrees on Christmas Day of 1983. If you’re wondering, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Miami is 27 degrees.
The cold outbreak of 1983 caused more than a half-billion dollars in damage to crops. It also led to six deaths across the state. The cold also led to several fires because of faulty heating units.
The warmest Christmas for Central Florida was pretty recent, and that was in 2015. This is when Orlando hit 86 degrees, with a low of 69 degrees. These temperatures are more typical of May rather than Christmas in Central Florida.
Stay with the weather experts at Spectrum News through the upcoming week. They’ll have the latest on the cold air that will move in for the holiday weekend.
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