Interior areas could see freeze on Monday

A recent cold snap armed with chilly morning temperatures will bring some of the season’s coldest weather Monday morning.

The National Weather Service said interior regions of South Florida, including eastern Collier County, could see temperatures fall to the freezing mark. The low is expected to drop to 32 degrees in some locations, forecasters said.

The weather service said in a statement that freezing temperatures and frost are possible in parts of Glades, Hendry, eastern Collier and western Palm Beach counties.

Local growers haven’t seen a major freeze in five years.

Temperatures will be warmer near the coast. The Monday morning low in Naples and south Lee County should drop to the low 40s, the weather service said.

The temperature today in Southwest Florida should reach the low 70s. Saturday’s high will reach the mid-70s, then a chill will settle into the area Sunday with highs in the low 60s.

A red flag warning was issued today for much of South Florida – including Collier County but excluding Lee County – because of an increased risk of fire danger. The warning will be posted from noon to 6 p.m. today because drier air will decrease humidity levels.

Weather service records indicate the average high temperature for today’s date in Naples is 75 degrees and the average low is 54.