Orlando residents looking ahead to their weekend plans found a welcome forecast: more sunshine, less rain, and a gentle return to typical late-September weather. According to FOX 35 Orlando’s meteorologist Laurel Blanchard, the weekend of September 20 and 21, 2025, kicked off with a bright note, though the ever-present chance of a stray shower lingered in the air. “More sun and less rain is the trend, but how long can we keep it going?” Blanchard mused, capturing the cautious optimism many Floridians feel during the tail end of hurricane season.
On Saturday, September 20, 2025, Blanchard and the FOX 35 Storm Team reported that the day would be dominated by dry air, keeping rain chances to a modest 20%. Any sea breeze activity, they explained, would shift from the northeast to the southwest across the Peninsula as the day heated up. “We can’t completely rule out a shower or two this afternoon,” Blanchard noted, but the overall outlook was for a pleasant day with only isolated interruptions.
As evening rolled in, those few showers quickly faded, making way for a clear night sky. Temperatures dipped into the upper 60s and lower 70s—just cool enough for locals to consider cracking a window overnight. This pattern of clearing skies and comfortable lows set the stage for a restful Saturday night and a promising start to Sunday.
Sunday, September 21, brought a near-repeat of Saturday’s conditions. The FOX 35 Orlando team described it as a “copy and paste kind of situation,” with dry air still holding strong over the region. While a spotty shower or stray storm was still possible, especially in the afternoon and early evening, the odds remained low. Highs hovered near the seasonal average—right around 90°F—with lows settling in the lower 70s. “A starry night is on tap,” Blanchard promised, giving locals another reason to enjoy the outdoors after sunset.
But as any seasoned Floridian knows, the weather can turn on a dime. Looking ahead to the new week, the forecast took a more unsettled turn. Starting Monday, September 22, a stalled front to the south was expected to wobble northward, bringing with it a surge of upper-level energy and increased moisture. This disturbance would help boost the chances of showers and storms to 50%, with scattered activity likely throughout the day.
“This wave looks to shift eastbound on Tuesday,” Blanchard explained, “keeping chances elevated.” The uptick in cloud cover might drop temperatures a degree or two, but the overall feel would remain seasonable for late September. Behind this area of low pressure, drier conditions were anticipated for Wednesday and the latter part of the week, though the possibility of hit-or-miss showers would persist. Another system was forecast to approach on Friday, September 26, bringing a cold front and the potential for more widespread rain. In its wake, residents could hope for some relief from the persistent humidity—a small but welcome reprieve in the Sunshine State.
Of course, this time of year, no weather report is complete without a look at the tropics. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November 30, has kept meteorologists and residents alike on their toes. As of September 20, Tropical Storm Gabrielle was churning in the Atlantic and was expected to intensify into a category 2 hurricane early the following week. The good news, according to FOX 35 Orlando, was that Gabrielle would brush just east of Bermuda, posing no direct threat to any landmass. The only impact for Central Florida? A marginal uptick in surf conditions along the east coast beaches—enough to interest local surfers, but not enough to cause concern for the broader community.
Behind Gabrielle, meteorologists were keeping a cautious eye on another tropical wave. While it only had a 20% chance of development over the next seven days, its progress through the tropical Atlantic could warrant closer attention as October approached. For now, though, it was more of a curiosity than a cause for alarm.
The steady drumbeat of weather updates and tropical tracking is a familiar part of life in Orlando, especially at this time of year. Local news outlets like Spectrum News 13 and FOX 35 Orlando play a crucial role in keeping residents informed and prepared. On September 21, 2025, Spectrum News 13 continued to provide hyperlocal forecasts, radar, and weather alerts tailored to the Orlando community, ensuring everyone from theme park employees to retirees had the information they needed to plan their days.
For many, this weekend’s forecast offered a welcome break from the unpredictability that often defines Florida’s late summer and early fall. The combination of sunny skies, manageable rain chances, and pleasant overnight lows gave families a chance to head outdoors, whether for a picnic, a stroll around Lake Eola, or simply some time spent soaking up the sun before the next round of storms.
But the forecast also served as a gentle reminder: in Florida, the weather is always worth watching. The sudden arrival of a stalled front or a wandering tropical wave can quickly shift the mood from carefree to cautious. As Blanchard and her colleagues emphasized, staying tuned to local updates and being prepared for changing conditions is always the best bet.
For those tracking the bigger picture, the 2025 hurricane season has so far been marked by near-misses and manageable threats. While Gabrielle’s brush with Bermuda will likely be a footnote in the season’s history, the continued vigilance of meteorologists and the preparedness of local residents remain the region’s best defenses against whatever nature has in store.
So, as Orlando enjoys a stretch of sun and mild weather, the community keeps one eye on the sky and the other on the horizon—ready for whatever the next forecast brings.
