Florida State Watch Office Morning Situation Report for Sunday, January 18th, 2026

• Radar and observations along the Panhandle have shown the rain ahead of the cold front has transitioned to snow this morning.
• The rain/snow line is approaching the US-231 corridor right now, with snow to the wet and scattered to widespread shower activity to the east from US-231 through the rest of North Florida.
• The cold front will continue to race eastward throughout the day across the state keeping shower activity contained to North Florida towards the I-4 corridor and the wintry mix of snow/rain or just snow along the Panhandle and the far western edge of the Big Bend (Gadsden and northern Liberty).
• Scattered showers can be expected from the Capital City and across Northeast Florida, then also extending through Central Florida.
• As the cold air chases the rain and the front from behind, a few snow flurries mixed into the rain cannot be ruled out.
• Winter Storm Advisories and Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for portions of the Panhandle through 12pm EST/11am CST ahead of snow accumulations on grassy surfaces.
• For the Winter Storm Advisories, snowfall totals upwards of a trace-1” are possible.
• For the Winter Storm Warning, snowfall totals upwards of 1-2” are possible, with a localized 3” also possible in heavier snow banding. Any larger accumulations of snow could lead to some slippery surfaces.
• Near midday to the early parts of this afternoon, drier air will catch up to the shower activity out ahead of the cold front leading to showers becoming more isolated in nature then eventually dissipating late this afternoon.
• With this potent cold front moving through, wind gusts will reach upwards 15-20 mph throughout the state, but event stronger wind gusts of 20-30 mph can be expected throughout Central Florida.
• Wind Advisories will go into effect midday for East-Central Florida, especially along the coasts, where winds of 15-25 mph are expected with wind gusts upwards of 35-45 mph.
• Dry conditions are expected to return statewide overnight as that much colder and drier air moves in.
• Calmer winds will also return overnight throughout most of the state as the cold front pushes offshore.
• South Florida can still expect to see lingering breezy wind gusts of 15-20 mph across interior areas and stronger wind gusts of 25-30 mph closer towards the coasts.
• The warmest part of the day has already occurred along much of North Florida with temperatures in the middle to upper 40s along the Panhandle and western Big Bend and the lower 50s for Northeast Florida.
• The much colder air racing in behind will continue to cool down temperatures further throughout the day and lead to colder feels-like temperatures by the afternoon.
• Feels-like temperatures by the early afternoon hours will reach the lower to middle 30s across much of North Florida as those breezy wind gusts continue.
• A sharp temperature difference can be found along the Nature Coast and lower Suwannee River Valley where high temperatures will reach the middle 50s, while Central and South Florida will see high temperatures in the 70s and lower 80s.
• Colder air will cause low temperatures to crash into the middle to upper 20s throughout North Florida and interior Nature Coast, lower 30s for interior Central Florida and middle to upper 30s for the rest of Central Florida and upper 30s to upper 40s across South Florida.
• Freeze Warnings will go into effect tonight from Northeast Florida and the I-4 corridor.
• With elevated winds continuing overnight, feels-like temperatures will remain in the middle to upper 20s to lower 30s from North Florida, nearly all of Central Florida and even south to Lake Okeechobee Monday morning.
• Immediate coastal portions of Central Florida will see feels-like temperatures in the lower to middle 30s. The rest of South Florida can expect feels-like temperatures through the middle 30s to middle 40s. 
• Cold Weather Advisories will go into effect tonight from the Suwannee Valley and through Lake Okeechobee to Collier County.
• Gusty winds and ocean swells of 1-3' will lead to a moderate to high risk for rip currents nearly statewide. 

To view the complete Morning Situation Report, please select the link below.

Morning Situation Report