Current Weather Outlook
Statewide weather outlook from Florida Division of Emergency Management Meteorology
Friday, December 19, 2025
...Dry Conditions Return to the Sunshine State as High Pressure Settles Across the Southeast U.S... Locally Sensitive Wildfire Conditions Possible in Areas Experiencing the Most Severe Drought... A Few Breezy Wind Gusts Upwards of 20 mph Today... Highs Climb into the Middle 80s For Parts of South Florida this Afternoon... Patchy Frost North of I-10 Overnight With Lows in the 30s...Moderate to High Risk for Rip Currents for All Florida Beaches...
Updated at 09:18 AM EST
Today's Threats:
|
No Threat |
Low Threat |
Medium Threat |
High Threat |
|
Lightning |
Tornado |
Damaging Wind/Hail |
Wildfire |
Freeze (Overnight) |
Fog (Overnight) |
Coastal Flooding |
Rip Currents |
|
Locally North & West-Central FL |
North of I-10 Corridor |
|
Panhandle East Coast West Coast & Southeast FL |
Weather Summary for the Next 24 Hours:
High pressure will begin to settle across the Southeast U.S. today as a dry front passes through the remainder of the state. A few brief sprinkles across South Florida and the Keys this morning (10-15% chance of rain) will quickly dissipate giving way to a dry and pleasant day statewide. The wildfire risk today will remain lower given the saturated vegetation from yesterday’s rainfall, however relative humidities will still dip low enough (40-45% RH values) and breezy winds with gusts upwards of 20 mph may still lead to locally sensitive wildfire conditions, especially in any areas experiencing the most severe long-term drought.
Over North Florida, high temperatures will reach the lower to middle 60s across the Panhandle and upper 60s to middle 70s for Northeast Florida and within the Suwannee River Valley. Highs in the upper 70s to middle 80s can be expected for Central and South Florida this afternoon.
Dry conditions will continue to prevail overnight. Low temperatures will cool off considerably over the Panhandle tonight, dipping into the middle to upper 30s for interior locations. Instances of patchy frost may develop, especially north of the I-10 corridor. Lows across Northeast Florida will also be cooler than normal, reaching the upper 30s to lower 40s. Central Florida can expect low temperatures in the lower to middle 50s with 60s throughout South Florida.
Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30.
For the latest on the tropics, please visit the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at www.hurricanes.gov.
Rip Currents: A high risk for rip currents can be expected for all Panhandle beaches today as surf remains elevated and breezy winds develop this afternoon. A moderate risk for rip currents is expected for all West Coast and East Coast beaches today. For the latest Rip Current Outlook, visit www.weather.gov/beach.
Marine Hazards: Wave heights along the East Coast will remain at 3-5’ today and tonight as ocean swells linger. Similarly, onshore winds and a lingering swell will bring surf of 2-4’ for all Panhandle beaches, diminishing to 1-2’ overnight. Waves of 1-2’ can be expected for all West Coast beaches today with a few waves upwards of 3’. Southeast Florida beaches will see waves of 1-2’ today.
Red Tide was observed at background to medium concentrations in both Bay and Gulf counties and background to low concentrations in Franklin County. Red Tide was not observed in Southwest Florida or along the Florida East Coast (valid 12/12).
Coastal Flooding: There is no risk for coastal flooding across Florida.
Fire Weather: Dry conditions will return to the Sunshine State as a dry frontal passage pushes yesterday’s rainy activity offshore. Relative humidities will remain above critical thresholds across North Florida today (40-45% RH values), though breezy winds with gusts upwards of 20 mph may promote a localized wildfire risk this afternoon, especially in any areas experiencing the most severe drought. However, saturated vegetation from yesterday’s rainfall will keep the overall wildfire threat low. According to the Florida Forest Service, there are 11 active wildfires across the state burning approximately 136 acres.
Drought (12/18): Plentiful rainfall of 3-6 inches has fallen over much of the Panhandle over the past two weeks which has allowed for some modest relief in the long-term drought conditions, outlined in this week’s latest Drought Monitor outlook. West of SR 231, any severe drought from last week’s outlook has been reduced to a Moderate Drought (level 1 of 4) where the heaviest rainfall has fallen. A Severe Drought (level 2 of 4) is still in place across the Big Bend region, though has been reduced back to a Moderate Drought (level 1 of 4) over the I-10 corridor across Northeast Florida and the Suwannee Valley. Extreme Drought (level 3 of 4) remains in place across northern Liberty, Gadsden, Leon, and Jefferson counties where 2-4 inch rainfall totals have fallen in the past two weeks, with parts of Jackson, Calhoun, and Madison counties reduced to a Severe Drought (level 2 of 4). However, 60-90 day rainfall departures remain below normal (3-5 inches below normal) over all North Florida which has kept at least some drought category in place despite the recent rainfall. On the contrary, rainfall has been harder to come by across West-Central Florida near the Tampa Bay metro where a Severe Drought (level 2 of 4) has been slightly expanded to include more of Hardee and DeSoto counties. Here, 3-month rainfall departures have begun to near 7 inches in some localized areas. A Moderate Drought (level 1 of 4) remains in place across nearly all South Florida south of Lake Okeechobee, with abnormally dry (emerging drought) conditions in place along coastal Southeast Florida. Additional rainfall is expected on Thursday (12/18) across the Panhandle which may lead to additional drought relief, though will be reflected in the next week’s outlook. Dry and warm conditions will return across the state this weekend and early next week, which may bring additional drought deterioration, especially over Central and South Florida.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index average for Florida is 423 (+4) on a scale from 0 (very wet) to 800 (very dry). There are 18 Florida counties that have an average KBDI above 500 (drought/increased fire danger).
Flash Flooding: There is no organized risk for flash flooding today.
Riverine Flooding: There are no riverine concerns across Florida. For more information, visit the River Forecast Center.
Lake Okeechobee’s average elevation is 13.54 feet, which is within the operational band and is 1.16 feet below normal for this time of year.
