Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out 20 NM Marine Forecast
| Tonight...Northeast Winds Around 5 Knots. Waves 1 Foot Or Less. Wave Detail: Northeast 1 Foot At 2 Seconds. Protected Waters Smooth. |
| Friday...Southeast Winds 5 To 10 Knots. Waves 1 Foot Or Less. Wave Detail: Southeast 1 Foot At 2 Seconds. Protected Waters A Light Chop. A Slight Chance Of Showers In The Afternoon. |
| Friday Night...North Winds 10 To 15 Knots, Increasing To 20 To 25 Knots After Midnight. Waves 1 Foot Or Less, Then 3 To 4 Feet After Midnight. Wave Detail: Southeast 1 Foot At 2 Seconds And Northwest 1 Foot At 2 Seconds, Becoming Northwest 4 Feet At 4 Seconds. Protected Waters Rough. A Chance Of Showers. |
| Saturday...Northwest Winds 25 To 35 Knots. Seas 4 To 6 Feet, Occasionally To 8 Feet, Building To 6 To 9 Feet, Occasionally To 11 Feet In The Afternoon. Wave Detail: Northwest 6 Feet At 6 Seconds, Becoming Northwest 9 Feet At 7 Seconds. Protected Waters Extremely Rough. A Chance Of Showers. |
| Saturday Night...Northwest Winds 30 To 35 Knots, Diminishing To 25 To 30 Knots After Midnight. Seas 7 To 10 Feet, Occasionally To 13 Feet. Wave Detail: Northwest 10 Feet At 7 Seconds. Protected Waters Extremely Rough. A Slight Chance Of Showers In The Evening. A Slight Chance Of Snow Showers. |
| Sunday...Northwest Winds 25 To 30 Knots, Diminishing To 20 To 25 Knots In The Afternoon. Seas 5 To 7 Feet, Occasionally To 9 Feet. Protected Waters Very Rough. |
| Sunday Night...Northwest Winds 15 To 20 Knots, Diminishing To 10 To 15 Knots After Midnight. Seas 3 To 5 Feet, Occasionally To 6 Feet. Protected Waters Choppy. |
| Monday...North Winds 10 To 15 Knots, Becoming Northwest 5 To 10 Knots In The Afternoon. Seas Around 3 Feet In The Morning, Then 1 Foot Or Less. Protected Waters A Moderate Chop. |
| Monday Night...Northwest Winds 10 To 15 Knots, Becoming North 5 To 10 Knots After Midnight. Waves 1 Foot Or Less. Protected Waters A Moderate Chop. |
| Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tallahassee FL 1006pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 ...New .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 1005pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 - Another intense arctic blast likely arrives by Saturday with more hard freezes and dangerous wind chills returning. Wind chills in the single digits are becoming increasingly likely (70 to 90% chance). Continue to monitor this potential for dangerous cold as we approach the weekend. - Given cold temperatures, action to protect vulnerable pipes, pets, plants, needs to be completed by Friday evening. - There is a high (90%) chance of gale conditions over the waters late Friday into Saturday. Very dangerous marine conditions are expected with gusts up to 40 knots and building seas. There is also a high chance of widespread 30 to 40 mph gusts across land areas which could cause sporadic power outages. Issued at 1005pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 No updates were made for this evening. .SHORT TERM... (This Evening through Friday) Issued at 258pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 A benign pattern will be in place across the forecast area today and into Friday as surface high pressure moves east over the region. The slow warming trend that started yesterday will continue into Friday. However, we do not expect the warmer conditions to last long, as the next significant cold front will be on our doorstep by Friday night. Ahead of this next front, isolated to scattered showers are possible across the region Friday afternoon. Given the limited moisture content ahead of the front, amounts will be very light and spotty. Forecast high temperatures will be around the upper 50s and low 60s. These values will be the warmest we can expect to see until at least next Tuesday or Wednesday. Long Term (Friday night through next Wednesday) Issued at 258pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 The long-term period is likely to bring some of the most significant cold weather the area has seen in years. This cold will rival similar cold snaps observed in late December 2022, early January 2012, mid January 2011, and early January 2010. The record low for Tallahassee on Sunday, February 1, is 20°F, which was last set in 1977. The long-term period starts Friday night as the arctic front begins to race into the forecast area behind a departing surface low. This area of low pressure will steadily strengthen as it moves into the western Atlantic and a strong arctic high moves in behind it. As this crashes into the deepening low pressure, the pressure gradient will rapidly increase across the tri-state region on Saturday. Not only will this facilitate the advection of an arctic air mass south into the region, but it will also bring strong winds across our land and marine zones. For marine zone impacts, please view the marine discussion below. Across our land areas, the tightening pressure gradient will allow widespread 20 to 25 mph sustained winds, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph possible on Saturday, especially across unsheltered regions free of tree cover. Given these winds, sporadic power outages are possible. These gusts should continue well into the late afternoon hours before the pressure gradient slowly weakens into Sunday morning. Despite the gradient weakening by the evening hours, sustained winds will likely remain around 10 to 15 mph through the overnight hours of Saturday into Sunday. This leads to our primary weather concern: the dangerous cold. After a warm afternoon in the upper 50s and low 60s on Friday, temperatures will rapidly drop Friday night into Saturday afternoon as the arctic air mass moves in. By sunrise Saturday morning, temperatures will likely have dropped into the upper 20s across southeast Alabama and the Panhandle, and into the low to mid-30s across southern Georgia and the Florida Big Bend. Despite increasing sunshine into the afternoon, temperatures will likely not warm through the day, as the warming influence of the sun is counteracted by continuing cold air advection. Most locations are likely to see only a pause in the cool-down in the early afternoon, especially across our Panhandle, southeast Alabama, and southwest Georgia counties. With the winds accompanying the cold, wind chill values will likely remain in the teens and low 20s all Saturday across southeast Alabama and will struggle to climb above freezing across the remainder of our forecast area. As the sun sets, continued cold air advection will allow the coldest air of the season to settle in place Saturday night into Sunday morning. As winds remain elevated around 10 to 15 mph overnight, expect wind chills to plummet into the single digits by midnight Sunday. A few locations in the colder spots may flirt with near-zero wind chills around sunrise Sunday, especially if winds remain higher than forecast. These wind chills can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 to 60 minutes, so be sure to bundle up with hats and gloves if spending any time outside. Air temperatures region-wide will drop into the mid-teens across southeast Alabama, southwest Georgia, and the Panhandle Saturday night into Sunday morning. Temperatures in the mid to upper teens can be expected across the Florida Big Bend. Because many locations, especially across the northwest portions of our forecast area, will see 12 to 15 hours of hard-freeze conditions, those with outdoor plumbing, plants, and pets could be severely impacted. Actions to protect these entities should be completed by Friday night and Saturday morning. Given these conditions, an extreme cold watch has been issued for the entire forecast area from Saturday afternoon into Sunday afternoon. It's important to note that this watch covers the period of most concern for damaging cold. However, a cold weather advisory will likely be needed for Saturday morning and early afternoon to account for wind chills in the upper teens and low 20s. The chill will remain on Sunday as afternoon highs only reach the low to mid-40s. Another night of dangerous cold is expected as overnight lows drop into the low 20s. While the duration of the hard freeze will not be as long, these freezing temperatures follow significantly cold weather, so proactive precautions must still be taken Sunday night into Monday. Given lower wind speeds, wind chill values will not be nearly as cold and will generally align with the forecast air temperatures. A slow warm-up begins Monday, with highs slowly climbing into the 50s and then the low 60s by Tuesday or Wednesday. While this system is forecast to be dry for much of our area, we cannot rule out a few snow flurries or a light dusting of snow across our northeastern zones Saturday afternoon. This will be associated with wrap- around precipitation as the surface low strengthens. Temperatures will be cold enough to support flurries or a light rain-snow mix across some of our Georgia counties. If any accumulations occur, they would most likely be north and east of a Tifton to Albany line and limited to a dusting on grassy surfaces. Marine Issued at 258pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 Gentle to moderate northerly breezes will continue today before clocking around out of the east to southeast on Friday. An area of low pressure will move over the marine area Friday a bring few showers. Behind the low, winds will become northerly to northwesterly and quickly increase to near gale force by early Saturday morning. Gusts of 40 to 45 kt are becoming increasingly likely, especially in the offshore waters where chances are now medium to high (60 to 90%). This will result in widespread gale conditions across the region, and the Gale watches remains in effect. Given the conditions, it's likely a small craft advisory will be needed for the St Andrews Bay as well. Conditions will remain around gale levels through through early Sunday morning before dropping to below advisory levels late Sunday night. Fire Weather Issued at 258pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 Gentle to moderate northerly breezes will continue today before clocking around out of the east to southeast on Friday. An area of low pressure will move over the marine area Friday a bring few showers. Behind the low, winds will become northerly to northwesterly and quickly increase to near gale force by early Saturday morning. Gusts of 40 to 45 kt are becoming increasingly likely, especially in the offshore waters where chances are now medium to high (60 to 90%). This will result in widespread gale conditions across the region, and the Gale watches remains in effect. Given the conditions, it's likely a small craft advisory will be needed for the St Andrews Bay as well. Conditions will remain around gale levels through through early Sunday morning before dropping to below advisory levels late Sunday night. Hydrology Issued at 258pm EST Thu Jan 29 2026 Very little precipitation is forecast over the next 7 days, and there are no flooding concerns. NOAA Tallahassee FL Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories FL...Extreme Cold Watch from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon for FLZ007>019-027>029-034-108-112-114-115-118- 127-128-134-326-426. GA...Extreme Cold Watch from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon for GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161. AL...Extreme Cold Watch from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning for ALZ065>069. GM...Gale Watch from Saturday morning through Sunday morning for GMZ730-755-765-775. Gale Watch from late Friday night through Sunday morning for GMZ751-752-770-772. |
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