Rain will push from north to south Thursday through Central Florida to bring cooler temperatures overnight, but a cold front is forecast to hit the area and drop temperatures into the 30s and 40s for the region over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

For the cool front today, rain totals are forecast to be minimal and the overnight lows into Friday will only drop into the upper 50s and lower 60s amid dry conditions. That bodes well for a pair of rocket launches on tap for Thursday night from the Space Coast by SpaceX.

Cooler air from the midwest, though, will begin to snake south and into the Florida peninsula on Friday bringing colder temps through Monday. Gusts of up to 20 mph will pass through Friday night as a surface high pressure system parks over the state.

“So, with no mentionable rain in the forecast, chilly temperatures will be the big story,” NWS forecasters said. “Nighttime temperatures will have us grabbing our jackets, for sure.”

Highs will hit the 60s but overnight lows could drop into the mid 30s for northern Central Florida.

“The coolest locales will be north of Orlando and rural Osceola & Okeechobee Counties, with the coldest readings forecast on Sunday and Monday mornings when the surface high resides overhead allowing for better radiational cooling,” forecasters said. “Wind chill readings are projected to fall to
the low 30s north of Orlando on Sunday morning, with upper 30s to low 40s elsewhere.”

The NWS said patchy frost could be possible for areas such as northern Lake and Volusia counties.

“It may be time to start thinking about protecting especially sensitive tropical and annual plants in these locales,” forecasters said.