Current Weather Outlook
Statewide weather outlook from Florida Division of Emergency Management Meteorology
Friday, July 24, 2026
... Drier Air to Suppress Most Shower and Storm Activity Across North & Central Florida Today... Isolated to Widely Scattered Storms in the Suwannee River Valley; Scattered to Numerous Activity in South Florida... Hot and Humid Conditions Persist... Highs in the Middle to Upper 90s in North & Central Florida; Heat Index Values in the Lower to Middle 100s... Localized Upper 100s Possible... Lingering Showers and Storms this Evening Dissipate or Push Offshore After Sunset.. Lows in the 70s and 80s... Life-Threatening Rip Currents Still Expected for Panhandle Beaches Today... No Tropical Cyclone Activity Expected in the Next 7 Days...
Updated at 9:21 AM EDT
Today's Threats:
|
No Threat |
Low Threat |
Medium Threat |
High Threat |
|
Lightning |
Tornado |
Damaging Wind/Hail |
Wildfire |
Excessive Heat |
Flash Flooding |
Fog (Overnight) |
Rip Currents |
|
Locally South FL South FL Suwannee Valley |
|
Iso. South FL |
Iso. Peninsula |
Locally Northeast FL Statewide
|
Iso. South FL |
|
Panhandle East Coast West Coast & Southeast FL |
Weather Summary for the Next 24 Hours:
Area of high pressure centered over the northern tier of the Sunshine State will continue to suppress most shower and thunderstorm activity today across North and Central Florida this afternoon. The sea breezes will advance inland and collide across the eastern Big Bend and Suwannee River Valley this afternoon where just enough moisture may be present for some isolated to widely scattered showers and storms (15-35% chance of rain). Otherwise, mostly sunny and dry conditions will prevail today. Across South Florida, easterly flow on the southern periphery of high pressure will continue to filter in seasonal moisture levels, encouraging scattered to locally numerous showers and thunderstorms this afternoon along the sea breezes as they advance inland (50-75% chance of rain). Although there is no organized risk for severe weather or flash flooding, any thunderstorm could become locally strong and capable of producing frequent lightning, gusty winds (40-55 mph), and torrential downpours.
High temperatures will reach the upper 80s to lower 90s in South Florida today where afternoon cloud coverage and rainfall may limit the extent of the heat. Drier air and ample sunshine will bring highs into the middle to upper 90s in North and Central Florida today. Combined with the humidity, feels-like temperatures will soar into the lower to middle 100s for most, with localized upper 100s possible in Northeast Florida. However, the drier air mass will likely keep heat indices just below Heat Advisory criteria in most locations.
Tonight, any shower or thunderstorm activity across the state will largely dissipate or begin to push offshore after sunset (25-35% chance of rain). A few coastal showers cannot be ruled out towards daybreak Saturday across Southeast Florida (20-30% chance of rain). Lows will fall into the middle 70s to lower 80s.
Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 7 days in the Atlantic.
For the latest on the tropics, please visit the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at www.hurricanes.gov.
Rip Currents: A moderate to high risk for rip currents is outlooked for all Panhandle beaches today as some lingering elevated surf remains. West Coast beaches will return to a low risk today. A moderate risk for rip currents persists across most East Coast beaches today with a low risk in Southeast Florida. For the latest Rip Current Outlook, visit www.weather.gov/beach.
Marine Hazards: Surf will finally diminish for all Gulf-facing beaches today, with most beaches seeing waves near 2-4’. East Coast beaches will also see surf near 2-4’ this afternoon, with locally calmer surf in Southeast Florida.
Red Tide: was observed at background concentrations from St. Johns County (valid 7/17/26).
Coastal Flooding: There are no coastal flooding concerns across Florida.
Fire Weather: The overall wildfire threat will remain low today given relative humidities staying above critical thresholds and winds remaining light. Relative humidities may fall into the middle to upper 30s in spots across North Florida today, which would lead to localized sensitive wildfire conditions, especially in Northeast Florida where the driest soil conditions are observed in the state and where the hottest temperatures are expected. A few isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across the Suwannee River Valley today with scattered to numerous activity across South Florida. Any thunderstorm activity across the state could be accompanied by lightning and gusty/erratic winds, which can spark new wildfires or reignite existing ones. According to the Florida Forest Service, there are 41 active wildfires across the state burning approximately 27,217 acres.
Drought (7/21/26): Higher than normal rainfall from a nearby tropical disturbance (that would eventually become Tropical Storm Bertha) has led to drought improvements across the Panhandle, Big Bend, and localized areas along the West Coast. Pockets of extreme drought (level 3 of 4) along much of the coastal Big Bend, in Franklin, Liberty, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Lafayette, Dixie, and Levy counties have been reduced to a severe drought (level 2 of 4). Similar reductions from extreme drought (level 3 of 4) to a severe drought (level 2 of 4) were observed in localized areas in Pinellas, Pasco, Duval, Clay, and Putnam counties. Further reductions were observed in the Western Panhandle, with portions of Gulf, Franklin, Liberty, Wakulla, and Leon counties previously in a severe drought (level 2 of 4) were reduced to a moderate drought (level 1 of 4). The D0 (abnormally dry) areas were removed (indicating no drought conditions) for Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties. Drier than normal conditions across much of the Peninsula this week has led to localized expansions (worsening drought) of the extreme drought (level 3 of 4) across West-Central and inland Southeast FL. 14% of the state remains in an extreme drought (level 3 of 4), a ~2% reduction from last week. 10% of the state has no drought designation, a ~2.5% increase from last week. Looking ahead, drier air will help to suppress most shower and thunderstorm activity across the North Florida through the next 7 days. Isolated to widely scattered activity is expected along the sea breezes in Northeast and North-Central Florida, with higher coverage of storms in South-Central and South Florida, especially towards the end of this coming weekend and early next week. Some drought improvements are possible in areas that receive beneficial rainfall. Otherwise, hot temperatures will continue to cure and dry out sensitive vegetation in areas that fail to receive rainfall.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index average for Florida is 369 (+12) on a scale from 0 (very wet) to 800 (very dry). There are 4 out of 67 Florida counties that have an average KBDI above 500 (drought/increased fire danger).
Flash Flooding: There is no organized risk for flash flooding across the state today. A few isolated to widely scattered showers and storms may develop in the Suwannee River Valley today, with scattered to numerous showers and storms in South Florida. Rainfall amounts will generally remain below 1” in areas that do receive rainfall in the Suwannee Valley. Higher coverage of activity in South Florida may lead to areas receiving multiple rounds of heavy downpours, which could lead to instances of nuisance flooding. Rainfall totals may reach upwards of 1-2” in localized areas of South Florida today. For more information, visit the Weather Prediction Center.
Riverine Flooding: All rivers are below flood stage across Florida. For more information, visit the River Forecast Center.
Lake Okeechobee’s average elevation is 10.88 feet, which is within the operational band and is 2.80 feet below normal for this time of year.
