Freeze Watches and Warnings Tonight for Northern Florida

A reinforcing cold front will send a shot of cold and dry air into the state. Afternoon temperatures will struggle to reach the low to mid 50s across Northwest Florida, with upper 50s to low 60s expected across Northeast Florida and northern Central Florida. High temperatures in the mid 60s to mid 70s are forecast for much of Central and South Florida today.

Breezy northwest winds will surge into the state by this afternoon. Sustained winds of 10-20mph can be expected, with occasional gusts to 25-35mph. As a result, a Lake Wind Advisory has been issued for Northeast Florida from late this morning through this afternoon.

The cold air tonight will allow temperatures to reach or dip below the freezing mark across much of North Florida. Freeze Watches and Warnings are in effect across the Florida Panhandle, Big Bend, Nature Coast, and much of Northeast Florida, where temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s are expected tonight. Durations of freezing temperatures will range from 5-7 hours inland and 2-4 hours near the coast. In addition, areas of frost will be possible. Though freezing temperatures are not expected across Central and South Florida, the combination of cool temperatures and northwest winds of 5-15mph will produce cold wind chill values ranging from the low 30s to low 40s near and north of Lake Okeechobee and mid 40s to low 50s across the remainder of mainland South Florida tonight. Wind Chill Advisories may be issued later today for some of these areas.

Ocean swells will result in a moderate to high risk of rip currents along the Florida East Coast today, mainly between Nassau and Palm Beach counties, despite offshore northwest winds today. The highest risk for rip currents will be along East Central Florida beaches. These northwesterly winds will result in a moderate risk of rip currents at West Central Florida beaches between Pinellas and Sarasota counties today.

A River Flood Warning remains in effect for flooding on the Escambia River, Apalachicola River, Aucilla River and Choctawhatchee River. All rivers have crested and are in recession. Click here to view the latest river levels.

To access the latest watches, warnings, and advisories from the National Weather Service for your county, please click here.
Weather Images Courtesy of Weather Services International