Prolonged cold snap grips Florida: Freeze warnings, fierce winds, and a flurry chance

The prolonged stretch of unseasonably cold weather continues across Southwest Florida. Advisories and warnings for cold weather are posted across Southwest Florida overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning.

Later this weekend, a very powerful cold front will usher in the coldest air Southwest Florida has seen in over 16 years. There is even a very low-end potential for snow flurries along Florida's west coast overnight Saturday into Sunday morning.

A Freeze warning is in place from midnight through 9 A.M. Thursday for Desoto, Highlands, Glades, and inland Charlotte County. During this time, a Cold Weather Advisory is in place for Lee, Hendry, Coastal Charlotte, and Inland Collier County.

Temperatures within the Freeze Warning are expected to briefly drop below 32 degrees. Feels-like temperatures within the Cold Weather Advisory are expected to drop below 35 degrees.

After a very brief warm-up on Friday, we look to the north as the next cold front arrives. It will bring scattered showers across Southwest Florida on Saturday morning.

Once the cold front sweeps to our south by midday hours, conditions will become quite windy. Sustained winds will reach near 25mph with wind gusts upwards of 40mph. This will contribute to a significant wind chill early Sunday morning as temperatures drop into the 30s.

As very cold air moves over the relatively warmer Gulf waters, a small bit of moisture may be left over by the frontal passage. This has opened the low-end chance for snow flurries along the coast of west-central Florida.

Currently, there is only a 10 to 20% chance of snow flurries developing. So yes, there is a chance, but not enough to get your hopes up. If this occurs, there is not expected to be any accumulation on the ground at this time.

The coldest air of the season, and likely of the past 16 years in Southwest Florida, settles in by early Monday morning. Lows will drop into the 20s and 30s. A hard freeze is possible for communities farther north and inland.

The WINK News Weather Authority Meteorologists will continue to monitor this historic cold snap and refine the forecast as new data comes in.

Stay tuned to WINK News on-air, online, and on the WINK News app for the latest updates and any additional cold weather alerts that may be issued.