Polk County will be under a threat of severe weather from noon until 6 p.m. on March 16 as a cold front sweeps across the state.
Once the cold front passes through, it will lower morning temperatures on March 17 into the low-40s – a 20 degree drop over the day before. The highs on March 17 are not expected to go beyond the 60s.
The severe weather threat could bring damaging winds, lightning, hail and a possible isolated tornado, according to Keily Delerme, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin.
“This is the normal transition of seasons,” she said of the weather conditions.
The threat on March 16 is expected to last from noon to 6 p.m., she said. The Tampa Bay and Nature Coast regions north of Interstate 4 could bare the brunt of the storms.
The NWS classified the threat to Polk County as slight, but north of I-4 was in the moderate threat range.
There is also the potential for 2 to 3 Inches of rain in localized areas, but not enough rain to alleviate persistent drought conditions throughout Central Florida, Delerme said.
While the morning temperatures are forecast to be in the 40s during the morning hours of March 17, the breezy conditions could make it feel like the temperatures are in the 30s range, she said. The low for Tuesday is 46 degrees and the high is expected to be 62.
The wind by noon March 16 is forecast to pick up to sustained 15-18 mph, with gusts of 25-28 mph. And some storms could create much higher winds depending where the storms develop, Delerme said.
While Tuesday will be the coldest day this week, the rest of the week is forecast to be mostly sunny and drier. Temperatures are expected to gradually increase during the week with weekend temperatures back in the 80s again.
Where are tornado watches in effect?
A tornado watch was issued early Monday for parts of the Florida Panhandle as a line of strong thunderstorms moved east across the Gulf Coast during the morning hours.
The watch covers several counties in the region — including Holmes, Okaloosa and Jackson — where conditions were favorable for tornado development as storms pushed through the area.
Forecasters say the storms are part of a large cross-country weather system producing blizzard conditions in the northern U.S. while triggering severe weather across the Southeast. Along the Panhandle, the primary threats include damaging wind gusts and brief tornadoes embedded within the fast-moving line of storms.
All tornado watches are set to expire by 1 p.m.
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Brandi D. Addison, a Weather Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network, contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Severe weather and wind chills in the 30s forecast for Polk County
Reporting by Paul Nutcher, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
