Current Weather Outlook
Statewide weather outlook from Florida Division of Emergency Management Meteorology
Sunday, March 23, 2025
...Patchy Fog to Dissipate Shortly After Sunrise...Mostly Dry Conditions Courtesy of High Pressure...Sensitive to Locally Elevated Wildfire Conditions Persist Statewide...Pleasant Spring Conditions this Afternoon...Increasing Chance for Showers and Embedded Thunderstorms Overnight and Early Monday Morning Across Florida Panhandle...Patchy Fog Possible Again Overnight throughout Suwannee Valley and Interior Peninsula...Reduced Visibility Possible Near Areas with Ongoing Wildfires and Foggy Conditions...Moderate Risk for Rip Currents Along Panhandle and East Coast Beaches; Locally High Risk for Palm Beach County...
Updated at 9:06 AM EST
Today's Threats:
|
No Threat |
Low Threat |
Medium Threat |
High Threat |
|
Lightning (Overnight) |
Tornado |
Damaging Wind/Hail |
Flash Flooding |
Fire Weather |
Riverine Flooding |
Fog (Overnight) |
Rip Currents |
|
Western Panhandle Iso. Eastern Panhandle |
Big Bend, Northeast & Interior Central FL Statewide |
Locally Iso. Suwannee Valley and Interior Peninsula |
Palm Beach County Panhandle & East Coast West Coast |
Weather Summary for the Next 24 Hours:
Areas of patchy fog this morning should quickly lift and dissipate as the sun continues to rise across portions of the Suwannee Valley and throughout the Peninsula.
High pressure will continue to create pleasant conditions across the Sunshine State today with a near-zero chance of rain and a mixture of sunshine and cloud cover. Sensitive to locally elevated wildfire conditions will also continue throughout the Florida Big Bend, Northeast and Central Florida as relative humidity values will fall near and below critical thresholds (25-35%) and wind gusts increase to 10-15 mph by the late afternoon hours. While moisture will recover across South Florida, ongoing drought conditions, dry vegetation and a near-zero chance of rainfall today will create locally sensitive wildfire conditions. The ongoing 344 Wildfire in southern Miami-Dade County continues to produce smoke that may lead to hazy conditions throughout the day.
High temperatures will reach 70s and lower 80s across the state, with interior portions of West-Central and Southwest Florida approaching the middle 80s this afternoon. Areas along the coasts will be slightly cooler than inland areas with the help of the sea breeze developing this afternoon.
Cloud cover will begin to increase overnight along the Florida Panhandle as the next cold front begins to sweep across the Mississippi Valley overnight. Increasing onshore winds ahead of the cold front may allow for isolated to scattered showers, with embedded rumbles of thunder or a thunderstorm or two, to develop during the late overnight and into the predawn hours across the Panhandle (25-35% chance of rain). Throughout the rest of the state mostly dry conditions can be expected to persist overnight. Areas of patchy fog may be possible again early Monday morning across portions of the Suwannee Valley and throughout the Peninsula. Foggy conditions developing over ongoing wildfires may further reduce visibility due to smoke and fog.
Low temperatures will fall into the upper 40s to upper 50s across North Florida, upper 50s to lower 60s across Central Florida and lower 60s to lower 70s across South Florida.
Rip Currents: Numerous beaches across the Panhandle and East Coast can expect a moderate risk for rip currents to persist throughout the day. A locally high risk for rip currents continues along Palm Beach County. With spring break season is full-swing, messaging regarding rip currents and dangerous surf conditions should be maintained for visitors and tourists. For the latest Rip Current Outlook, visit www.weather.gov/beach.
Marine Hazards: Mostly calm marine conditions can be expected across the Sunshine State as wave heights near 1-2’ persist. A localized ocean swell off the Treasure Coast will create wave heights upwards of 3’ this afternoon.
Red Tide has been observed at background levels in 3 samples collected around the state (one sample from Okaloosa County, one sample from Bay County, and one sample from Palm Beach County) over the past week (valid 3/21). There have been no reports of respiratory irritation or fish kills suspected to be related to red tide.
Coastal Flooding: There is no risk for coastal flooding today.
Fire Weather: Near-zero chances for rain will persist across the state throughout the daytime hours with the help of high pressure; however, moisture in some portions of the state will begin to slowly recover ahead of the next cold front pushing eastward. Relative humidity values throughout the Florida Big Bend, Northeast Florida and along the I-75 corridor throughout interior Central Florida will fall near and below critical thresholds (25-35%) this afternoon leading to sensitive wildfire conditions with a more locally elevated threat across portions of Nature Coast and into Central Florida. Interior portions of South Florida could also see locally sensitive wildfire conditions as relative humidity values fall near critical thresholds (35-45%) over severe drought conditions and lack of substantial rainfall continues to make grounds and vegetation dry. Southerly to southeasterly winds will remain light throughout most of the day reaching upwards of 10-12 mph. Wind gusts will remain light throughout the morning and early afternoon hours near and below 10 mph but will increase to upwards of 15 mph by the mid to late afternoon hours. The wildfire over southern Miami-Dade County may continue to create hazy conditions due to smoke. Foggy conditions this morning across the Suwannee Valley, but especially across portions of South Florida, may further reduce visibility where there are ongoing wildfires. According to the Florida Forest Service, there are 77 active wildfires across the state burning approximately 28,698 acres.
Drought: The March 15-16 severe weather event brought much needed rainfall to portions of the Southeast U.S. this past week (as of 3/20). However, little rainfall was observed across the Florida Peninsula, where several new wildfires burned thousands of acres in typically swampy areas. As a result, Severe Drought conditions were expanded in Southern Florida on this week’s Drought Monitor update (valid 3/20). Severe Drought condition also persist north of the I-4 corridor across portions of the Nature Coast. Abnormally Dry (emerging drought) to Moderate Drought conditions expand elsewhere across the Peninsula south of the I-10 corridor from a line from Horseshoe Beach to Gainesville to St. Augustine and southward through the far southern Peninsula. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is outlooking near to above normal temperatures and slightly below to slightly above normal rainfall across the Peninsula over the next week or so which may allow drought conditions to hold steady or continue worsening.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index average for Florida is 319 (+4) on a scale from 0 (very wet) to 800 (very dry). There are 10 Florida counties ( Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach) with an average KBDI over 500 (drought/increased fire danger).
Flash Flooding: There is no risk of flash flooding today.
Riverine Flooding: The Aucilla River at Lamont has fallen below flood stage but remains within Action Stage (bank-full). Additional river basins, including portions of the Ochlockonee, St. Marks and Santa Fe rivers, have risen into Action Stage in response to recent rainfall; however, riverine flooding is not expected at this time. For more information, visit the River Forecast Center.
Lake Okeechobee’s average elevation is 12.87 feet, which is within the operational band and is 1.51 feet below normal for this time of year.
