ORLANDO, Fla. – A strong but mostly dry cold front is pushing through Central Florida, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures and a blast of cold air that you will definitely notice.
Tuesday will feel much colder than normal for late December.
Highs in the Orlando area will struggle to get out of the upper 50s. Gusty northwest winds will make it feel even colder, knocking a few more degrees off what you see on the thermometer.
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Extremely dry air will also settle in with the cold, elevating the fire danger Tuesday and Wednesday.
Overnight
Tuesday night is when conditions turn more serious as lows are forecast to drop into the 30s across nearly all of Central Florida by New Year’s morning.
Neighborhoods in Marion, Lake, Sumter and inland Volusia counties will have an opportunity to dop briefly below freezing. A Freeze Watch is in effect for those areas between 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Elsewhere, a cold northwest wind will push wind-chill values into the upper 20s to lower 30s. A Cold Weather Advisory has been issued for all of Central Florida on Wednesday morning, as these conditions can be dangerous for anyone without proper shelter, heat or cold-weather clothing.
New Year’s Eve
Cold and dry weather sticks around through Wednesday, with highs once again staying well below normal in the upper 50s.
While temperatures will slowly begin to moderate as we ring in the new year, it will still be chilly, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s by the time the clock strikes midnight!
Starting 2026
Gradual warming arrives late in the week, as temperatures warm back into the 70s by the weekend.