Cold weather alert in Florida to end the year: temperatures and affected areas for New Year’s
A cold front will hit several parts of Florida next week, with temperatures dropping on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, December 31 and January 1.
Florida residents are set to welcome the New Year with an unusual chill, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Forecasters say a strong cold front will sweep into the state early in the week, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures just as 2026 begins.
The NWS expects the front to begin pushing down the Florida Peninsula on Monday, likely reaching Central Florida by late afternoon. “South Florida will enjoy its final stretch of pleasant seasonal warmth for the year, with highs in the low 80s,” the agency noted.
By Tuesday, the cold front will continue sliding south and should clear South Florida by the end of the day. After that, temperatures are forecast to fall significantly—roughly 10 degrees lower than what residents have felt in recent days.
According to the NWS, daytime highs will range from the low 70s along the east coast to the mid‑60s across the interior. Overnight lows could dip into the upper 30s to low 40s inland, and into the upper 40s to low 50s closer to the coasts.
Where snow is expected in the U.S. for New Year’s
A powerful winter storm is gearing up to hit the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast from Sunday through Tuesday, bringing heavy snow, blizzard conditions, and dangerous ice, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) warned.
Lake‑effect snow is expected from Michigan to northern New York, fueled by a surge of cold air over the Great Lakes through Thursday, January 1, 2026.
“Significant snow accumulations are likely from Tuesday through Thursday, especially across northern New York, where totals of 12 to 24 inches are very likely,” the WPC said. Additional snow is possible Friday, along with upslope snow showers in the central Appalachians. Light snow is also expected from the Midwest into the Ohio Valley.
By mid‑ to late week, temperatures are forecast to run below average from the Northern Plains through the Mid‑Atlantic and Northeast. The coldest conditions will settle over the Upper Midwest.
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