textproduct: Miami - South Florida

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 329 PM EST Wed Jan 28 2026

- Below average temperatures continue across South Florida. Cold apparent temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s are forecast for Glades/Hendry/Collier Thursday morning, with Cold Weather Advisories in effect.

- Freezing temperatures as low as 31 degrees are possible tonight into early Thursday morning for Glades County where a Freeze Warning will take effect.

- Low relative humidities each afternoon this week across interior South Florida and Southwest Florida could result in periods of enhanced fire behavior. - A potentially record breaking cold snap is possible late weekend into early next week as another strong cold front passes through the area. Near freezing to sub-freezing low temperatures are possible for a large area of South Florida Saturday night into Sunday morning and again Sunday night into Monday morning. Lows in the 30s could reach as far South as Miami Dade County with wind chills in the 20s across all of South Florida.

UPDATE

Issued at 329 PM EST Wed Jan 28 2026

The previous forecast remains on track. A weak mid-level trough will swing through the area, and with enough low level moisture there will be slight chances for some shower activity over the Atlantic waters as well as east coast metro locations through this evening. These showers will be of a weaker variety. Otherwise, marine conditions continue to improve through this evening. Temperatures remain cooler through the end of the week as a northerly to northwest flow is maintained, and then attention turns to even colder air arriving late in the weekend and early next week. More details to come on that in future updates as guidance becomes more clear.

SHORT TERM

(Today through Thursday) Issued at 1209 AM EST Wed Jan 28 2026

Wednesday should start out a cool and partly sunny day, but cloud cover is expected to increase heading into the afternoon hours with isolated to scattered shower activity developing over the local Atlantic waters, potentially drifting across portions of the eastern metro areas during the afternoon and early evening hours. Temperatures this morning will be quite cold around the Lake Okeechobee region and Southwest Florida with lows in the 30s. Elsewhere, we should bottom out in the mid 40s to lower 50s. By this afternoon, comfortable temperatures in the mid 60s are expected area- wide.

Cloud cover is expected to break overnight Wednesday into Thursday with mainly sunny conditions prevailing most of the day on Thursday. It will be slightly colder early Thursday morning than today. There is a 50-60% chance of sub-freezing temperatures for Glades County where a Freeze Warning will take effect overnight into early Thursday morning. Lows will range from the low 30s around Lake Okeechobee to the upper 40s along the east coast. Minimum wind chills will be quite cold as well, reaching the upper 20s around Glades and Hendry counties and the lower 30s for interior Collier County. A Cold Weather Advisory will take effect overnight into early Thursday morning for Hendry and Inland Collier.

LONG TERM

(Thursday night through Tuesday) Issued at 1209 AM EST Wed Jan 28 2026

A weak area of low pressure will drift across the Gulf late week and into the western Atlantic by late Friday or early Saturday before quickly deepening as it pushes towards the northeast. A few showers will be possible on Friday afternoon and especially Saturday morning as this system pushes across the peninsula. As this low enters the Atlantic and deepens, it will send a very strong cold front across South Florida on Saturday afternoon, reinforcing the already cooler air mass across the area. The coolest and driest air mass of the season thus far arrives early Sunday morning with potentially widespread freezing or near freezing low temperatures across South Florida. Northwest flow prevails behind the strong front, which will advect a dry arctic continental air mass down the Florida peninsula all day on Sunday. Sunday night into Monday morning could be even colder as cold air advection is maximized, and maritime modification to the air mass is minimized, or nearly non-existent. Low temperatures could be so cold early Sunday and early Monday that Extreme Cold Warnings may be needed around Lake Okeechobee with potential Freeze Warnings extending much further south than the earlier cold snaps this season. Trends have been closely monitored and will continue to be monitored through the week although confidence is slowly increasing that this could be the coldest arctic snap across South Florida since December 2010.

Visit our website for graphical temperature forecasts (hover over 'Forecast' and then click 'Cold Weather' OR 'Other Probabilistic Forecast Graphics'). Describing temperatures across every part of the forecast area through text is a bit clunky and images make the message much clearer.

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1217 PM EST Wed Jan 28 2026

VFR is expected to prevail for the TAF period. However, some light shower activity is possible for the east coast terminals this afternoon and evening. Winds are expected out of the NNW around 10 kts today and most of tonight. By tomorrow afternoon, a wind shift to the NE is expected after 16-17Z.

MARINE

Issued at 1209 AM EST Wed Jan 28 2026

Winds will slowly be decreasing today across local waters, although gusty northwesterly winds (for Gulf waters) and northeasterly winds (for Atlantic waters) could continue for at least the first half of the day. Wave heights will also be decreasing today. Waves between 7- 9 feet across Atlantic waters will drop to 4-6 feet by this afternoon. Waves across Gulf waters will hold steady between 3-4 feet.

BEACHES

Issued at 1209 AM EST Wed Jan 28 2026

A high risk of rip currents remains across all Southeast Florida beaches through this morning. As winds and seas subside, the risk will drop to moderate across Broward and Miami Dade beaches this afternoon but will remain high across Palm Beach County.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Miami 51 71 60 71 / 30 0 10 30 West Kendall 46 72 54 73 / 20 0 10 30 Opa-Locka 49 72 58 73 / 30 0 10 30 Homestead 51 72 59 73 / 30 0 10 40 Fort Lauderdale 50 70 60 71 / 30 0 10 30 N Ft Lauderdale 50 70 59 71 / 30 0 10 30 Pembroke Pines 48 72 57 73 / 30 0 10 30 West Palm Beach 48 70 57 71 / 20 0 0 20 Boca Raton 48 71 58 72 / 30 0 10 30 Naples 41 70 52 71 / 0 0 0 10

MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

FL...Cold Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 9 AM EST Thursday for FLZ063-066-070.

Freeze Warning from midnight tonight to 9 AM EST Thursday for FLZ063.

High Rip Current Risk until 7 PM EST this evening for FLZ168.

AM...None. GM...None.