A stout cold front is forecast to sweep across the state, ushering in the coldest air mass of the season just in time for Halloween.
Behind the front, clearing conditions are expected to take place from west to east as winds shift to the west and northwest, helping to usher in drier and much cooler air.
By Thursday morning, temperatures are expected to be 5 to 10 degrees below their typical values, with highs also several degrees below normal.
Typical late October highs across much of the region range from the mid-70s to the 80s, but this round of cooler air could keep afternoon readings in the 60s across the Panhandle, with South Florida struggling to reach the 80s.
For those partaking in trick-or-treating, Friday could be the coldest Halloween holiday in more than a decade.
Typically, the warmest part of the day during this time of year occurs between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., but by the time children begin making their rounds through neighborhoods, temperature readings could be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than they were before sunset.
Temperatures still too warm for first frost, freeze of season
Despite the chill down, temperatures are expected to stay above frost and freeze levels.
Frost typically forms when temperatures fall to or below 36 degrees under clear skies, light winds and high relative humidity.
The first Florida communities to experience frost are generally located along the Interstate 10 corridor between Tallahassee and Pensacola.
The event usually takes place during either the first or second week of November and annually marks the transition of the ending of fall and the beginning for winter.
The first freeze typically follows about two weeks after the first frost, as temperatures fall to at least 32 degrees or below.
Further south along the I-4 corridor, the first frost event typically doesn't occur until around the start of the new year.
During some of the Sunshine State's warmest winters, it's not uncommon for communities in Central and South Florida to go an entire season without a single frost or freeze.
Any significant cold weather outbreak has ramifications for the state's multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry.
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