Current Weather Outlook
Statewide weather outlook from Florida Division of Emergency Management Meteorology
Friday, April 17, 2026
...High Pressure to Bring Another Warm and Dry Day Statewide... Breezy Winds Upwards of 20 mph Throughout the Eastern Peninsula... Elevated Wildfire Conditions Persist Across the North and Central Florida... Highs in the 80s and 90s, Lows in the 50s and 60s... Patchy Dense Fog Development Possible Across North and Central Florida Tonight... Moderate Risk for Rip Currents Persists Along Panhandle and East Coast...
Updated at 8:50 AM EDT
Today's Threats:
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No Threat |
Low Threat |
Medium Threat |
High Threat |
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Lightning |
Tornado |
Damaging Wind/Hail |
Wildfire |
Excessive Heat |
Flash Flooding |
Fog (Overnight) |
Rip Currents |
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Interior North & West-Central FL Statewide |
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Locally North & Central FL |
Panhandle & East Coast West Coast |
Weather Summary for the Next 24 Hours:
Any areas of patchy fog throughout North and Central Florida this morning will dissipate by mid-morning as the sun rises. Otherwise, yet another sunny and dry day is expected statewide today with high-pressure firmly anchored across the Gulf states. Chances of rain will remain near zero statewide, the exception being coastal Southeast Florida where an isolated sprinkle or brief shower cannot be ruled out (15-20% chance of rain).
Relative humidities will dip to near or below critical thresholds (25-35%) throughout interior portions of the Panhandle and Northeast Florida this afternoon. Elevated wildfire conditions are likely to persist given these dry conditions and ongoing extreme to exceptional drought (level 3-4 of 4). Winds are expected to remain on the lighter side throughout much of the state today, though may gust upwards of 15-20 mph along the East Coast. Highs will climb well into the upper 80s to middle 90s across interior portions of the state, with the coastal Panhandle and East Coast remaining cooler in the 70s and lower 80s due to breezier onshore winds.
Clear and calm conditions will prevail overnight. Low temperatures will dip into the upper 50s to lower 60s in North Florida, middle to upper 60s in Central Florida, and upper 60s to middle 70s in South Florida. Areas of patchy fog may develop throughout North and Central Florida tonight, some of which could become locally dense. Fog development near active wildfires can result in significantly reduced visibilities.
Rip Currents: Beach conditions will improve along the East Coast today with diminishing surf and calmer winds. A moderate risk for rip currents is expected for all East Coast and most Panhandle beaches today. A low risk is outlooked along all West Coast beaches. For the latest Rip Current Outlook, visit www.weather.gov/beach.
Marine Hazards: The sea state will continue to diminish today along the East Coast with surf of 2-3’ expected for all beaches. Waves near 1’ can be expected for all Panhandle and West Coast beaches today.
Red Tide was observed at background concentrations offshore Bay and Gulf County (valid 4/10/26).
Coastal Flooding: There is no risk for coastal flooding today.
Fire Weather: A dry airmass will remain entrenched across much of the state as high pressure anchors overhead. A mostly sunny and dry day is on tap throughout the Sunshine State. Relative humidities will remain above critical thresholds throughout the eastern Peninsula, though will reach near critical thresholds (25-40%) across interior North and West-Central Florida. Given the ongoing extreme to exceptional drought (level 3-4 of 4), elevated wildfire conditions can be expected today. Stronger winds will reside across the eastern Peninsula today, with easterly to east-northeasterly gusts of 15-25 mph expected. These winds may promote blowing smoke of any active wildfires. Areas of patchy fog may develop tonight across North and Central Florida, some of which could become locally dense. Areas of fog may further reduce visibilities in areas experiencing active wildfire smoke. According to the Florida Forest Service, there are 85 active wildfires across the state burning approximately 7,744 acres.
Drought (4/16/26): Although rainfall has been sparce and nearly non-existent across the state in the last 5 days or so, last week’s rainfall that occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday (4/7 – 4/8) was included in this most recent Drought Monitor update which has brought some categorical improvements to South and Central Florida. Rainfall totals across coastal East-Central Florida during the middle of last week added up to 3-6”, with some localized areas exceeding 6”. Additionally, across Southeast Florida, a general 1-3” of rainfall was observed with localized amounts upwards of 5”. This has resulted in the extreme drought being reduced to a severe drought (level 2 of 4) across the Treasure Coast and much of the severe drought along the southeast coast reduced to a moderate drought (level 1 of 4). Across interior South-Central Florida, a pocket of locally heavier rainfall over Hardee, DeSoto, and Highlands counties has brought a return of a severe drought (level 2 of 4). Much of the I-4 corridor saw rainfall amounts between 0.5-2”, which was enough for some severe drought across the Space Coast to be reduced to a moderate drought (level 1 of 4). Otherwise, there were no observed changes on this week’s update across Southwest or West-Central Florida where an extreme drought (level 3 of 4) remains in place. North Florida continues to experience the worst drought due to severe and record low precipitation deficits. An exceptional drought (level 4 of 4) is still observed throughout much of the eastern Panhandle, Big Bend, and Suwannee River Valley with extreme drought (level 3 of 4) elsewhere. The Big Bend region remains one of the hardest hit locations, such as Tallahassee that has neared a 20-inch rainfall deficit dating back to September 1, 2025 (about 8 months ago). This has resulted in extremely low streamflows within all river basins, streams, lakes, and ponds. Looking ahead, very dry and near record warm conditions over the past week will continue through at least the beginning of next week. This will result in additional drought expansion throughout much of North Florida, with potential for worsening drought across Central and South Florida. Additionally, a dry cold front will sweep through North Florida on Sunday and Monday, bringing increasing winds and low relative humidities which will further dry out sensitive fuels.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index average for Florida is 461 (+8) on a scale from 0 (very wet) to 800 (very dry). There are 25 Florida counties that have an average KBDI above 500 (drought/increased fire danger).
Flash Flooding: There is no organized risk for flash flooding today across Florida.
Riverine Flooding: There are no riverine concerns across Florida. For more information, visit the River Forecast Center.
Lake Okeechobee’s average elevation is 12.07 feet, which is within the operational band and is 1.94 feet below normal for this time of year.
