A winter storm of a magnitude unlike we traditionally see in the month of January is happening right now. Blankets of snow, swaths of freezing rain and ice, as well as a field of rainfall are impacting millions of us through the lower forty-eight.
The winter storm is unfolding, and several states are feeling the wrath of high winds, snow, and ice. (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
While we may have dodged the brunt of the snow, ice, wind, and rain, Floridians are actually feeling the winter storm in another way.
Our temperatures have SOARED over the last few days. Gone are the comfortable afternoons and somewhat chilly mornings. The mugginess has returned and we’ll be getting feverishly close to setting some record high’s come Sunday.
When you have such a strong push of cold air and an aggressive plunge of jet stream winds high up in the atmosphere, the temperatures have to respond.
These were our actual observed temperatures today compared to the average for this time of year (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
They’ve indeed responded! Today’s afternoon highs managed to get into the low 80s for almost all of us. If it weren’t for the increased moisture and cloud cover coming in off the Gulf, we’d have likely seen our thermometers climb even higher.
Tomorrow we won’t have the luxury of dodging excessive warmth during the afternoon.
We might start off with some patchy fog, especially in our northern counties once again thanks to such a large push of moisture coming across our state. This will burn off quick, allowing the sun to really ramp temps up as we move through church and brunch time.
Notice the strong winds headed towards our east coast, cutting across the peninsula at a perpendicular angle. Then in the western Gulf, there’s an area of low pressure associated with our winter storm developing (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
As our winter storm continues to further organize, winds will start to increase too. Along the Atlantic coast of Central Florida, a high rip current risk is in effect.
Be very careful! On my way in to the studio today, I saw the water parks packed. If I had the time, I’d probably be in the water too. So please stay close to lifeguard posts and maintain your situational awareness if you decide to hit the beach.
Easterly winds coming in from off the coast will make waves fairly aggressive and those rip currents could sneak up on you.
Then Monday we start to see the wheels of change get moving. The cold front attached to our area of low pressure driving this nationwide winter event comes in.
A small chance of rain exists for us here in the Orlando area, and surrounding neighborhoods.
Tomorrow morning as the sun rises we could see some patchy areas of fog (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
To our northwest, the panhandle and Big Bend are actually beneath a level one and level two risk for severe weather! It goes to show just how much we’re actually getting away with down here in our viewing area.
Since we’re dealing with a dense but shallow layer of very cold air, it’ll take a little bit to catch up to the front itself when it comes across.
Tuesday morning temps and especially feels like temps will be FREEZING for a good bunch of us. This is even more so the case the further northwest you travel from I-4 into parts of Lake, Sumter, Marion, and Alachua counties.
These are what temps COULD FEEL LIKE Tuesday morning as you prep to start the day. Bundle up! (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
Computer models predict our feels like temps could hit the low 20s in our northern counties Tuesday morning so please plan accordingly. The winds will be moving pretty good even well after sunrise, so don’t anticipate a quality warm up into the afternoon.
Wednesday will be similar, especially closer to 5-8 a.m. We’ll see winds taper some, so we’ll feel naturally warmer by mid day.
Then looking even further ahead, we’ve got some subtle shots for rain that may make their way towards us by the last day or two of January into early February.
Daily Forecast
The News 6 Weather team ensures you’re always on top of the day’s weather.
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