Central Floridians are bracing for a cold Monday night with wind chills reaching in the lower 20s, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Melbourne.
In the wake of a cold front and strong low pressure system, the coldest air of the winter will continue into east Central Florida tonight. Accompanying the cold temperatures would be increasing sustained winds of 10-15 miles per hour, with gusts up to 25-30 miles per hour, producing wind chills well into the 20s.
Tuesday is expected to remain cold with high temperatures in the upper 40s to lower 50s, making temperatures about 20 degrees below normal, according to the NWS.
A red flag warning from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday is in effect for coastal Volusia-Indian River-inland Volusia-Martin-northern Brevard-Northern Lake-Okeechobee-Orange-Osceola-Seminole-southern Brevard-Southern Lake-St. Lucie.
Local citrus growers are preparing for the cold snap and getting ready to run irrigation systems in an effort to protect their orange fruit and groves. They are praying it won’t last long.
Florida produces more than 75 percent of the oranges nationwide and about 40 percent of the world’s orange juice supply.
