Winter taking 1 more shot at area

Winter doesn’t want to say goodbye to Central Florida just yet.

A cold front is expected to make its way into the area today, causing overnight low temperatures to plunge into the 40s through Friday.

The cooler weather is part of a larger system expected to bring dangerous blizzard conditions to parts of the Midwest and Northeast. On Monday the storm already had inconvenienced some travelers at Orlando International Airport.

Fifty-three flights were canceled, and 85 were delayed as of 6 p.m. Eight arrivals were canceled and 52 were delayed along with 45 departures canceled and 33 delayed.

Officials urged travelers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport. Additional delays and cancellations are expected because of Winter Storm Stella.

Travelers should not come to the airport to change flights. Instead, go online to re-book, authorities advise.

The cold front is expected to move into Central Florida by this morning. Before then, most of the area will likely see widespread showers and thunderstorms, said Tim Sedlock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

Some spots could get up to one inch or more of rain by the morning, he said. The moisture is needed in a year that has been dry so far. Orlando has received about half of the six inches of rain it normally gets by the middle of March, according to the Weather Service.

The afternoon high today is predicted to be in the low 70s — several degrees below normal. Skies will start out cloudy, Sedlock said, but will clear throughout the day as a second cold front moves in.

And by tonight, the temperature in most of Central Florida is expected to drop into the 40s.

High temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will stay well below normal: in the mid-60s, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast calls for sun and winds of 5 mph for both days.

Sedlock said temperatures should start warming up on Friday, and Central Florida likely will be back to normal for the season, nearing 80 degrees by Sunday. National

Cold fronts in March are rare, Sedlock said. No more are predicted in the near future.

“This may be winter’s last hurrah here,” he said.

But in the Northeast, more than 4,000 flights scheduled for today were canceled in anticipation of at least a foot of snow from Philadelphia to Maine, according to FlightAware.com.

The National Weather Service predicted as much as two feet in New York City and a foot to 18 inches in Boston.

Public schools in New York City were scheduled to be closed today. Staff writer Sandra Pedicini and wire services contributed to this report.