Brrrr-ing On The New Year

BROOKSVILLE - Let's hope Baby New Year brought his bonnet.

Today may have started with mild temperatures, but winds are expected to increase throughout the day with the arrival of a cold front that will bring freezing temperatures Wednesday and Thursday mornings and maybe even Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Ruskin.

Thursday morning is expected to be the coldest with a forecast low of 18 degrees in Brooksville, according to the weather service.

Factor in the wind chill and the feels-like temperature could break the single digit mark.

"We have a very high degree of confidence on this one, so plants and pets...you should take care of them," said Anthony Reynes, forecaster with the weather service.

Winds could gust beyond 25 miles per hour this afternoon, Reynes said. It marks the arrival of a Canadian arctic air mass - dry, heavy, frigid air that is descending upon the area.

Temperatures will drop rapidly starting this evening, with a forecast low of 30 degrees Wednesday morning. A freeze warning is in effect for Hernando and Pasco counties, meaning freezing temperatures will last at least three hours.

The wind chill will make it feel a lot colder, Reynes warned. Even areas along the coast that are typically warmer will have wind-chill temperatures in the 20s, he said.

The mercury will struggle to hit a high of 50 degrees Wednesday. The weather service has also put a fire weather watch in effect for Wednesday afternoon. The dry, gusty conditions increase the potential fire danger.

Winds will have eased some by Thursday morning but will likely still be strong enough to make the forecast low of 18 degrees feel more like 8 degrees, according to the weather service.

The forecast high Thursday is 53 degrees.

Friday morning will be cold, too: A forecast low of 32 degrees could make for three straight days of freezing temperatures.

"The good news is this is what we could call a short cold spell," Reynes said.

Temperatures will rebound quickly with forecast highs of 65 degrees on Friday and the low 70s on Saturday and Sunday.

Another bright part of the forecast: Starting tonight, skies are expected to remain clear or mostly clear through the weekend.