Winter storm and freeze warnings in place: Will it snow in Central Florida?

In Florida, winter storm and freeze warnings both remain in place, and snow, sleet, or freezing rain is also expected.

What to expect overnight

Local perspective:

A cold and raw wind-driven rain will impact most of the region, with Marion, Alachua, and northern Flagler counties seeing icy conditions overnight into Wednesday morning. 

Between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m., some areas may experience a brief period of sleet, particularly near Ocala, where impacts are possible. Farther north, significant icing from freezing rain, sleet, and even snow is expected in Gainesville and surrounding areas.

Travelers heading north on Interstate 75 from Ocala should prepare for increasingly icy conditions, with many roads in the Panhandle already closed. Around Gainesville, sleet and freezing rain could create hazardous travel conditions.

Will it snow in Central Florida? 

Timeline:

Significant icing is expected around Gainesville by Wednesday morning with minor icing around Ocala and Marion County.

A few sleet pellets could mix in as far south as the I-4 corridor from around 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, but would not cause any impact as ground temps won't be below freezing that far south.

As the weather system moves away and cold air wraps in behind it, a brief period of sleet or snow flurries could extend as far south as the Interstate 4 corridor, including Orlando, by mid to late morning. However, any wintry precipitation in these areas is expected to be brief and light.

Wednesday will be extremely chilly, with afternoon highs struggling to reach the mid-40s in Orlando and potentially staying in the 30s around Ocala, Palm Coast, and Gainesville. The afternoon will likely be dry but remain cloudy and cold.

When will warm weather return to Florida?

What's next:

Thursday will be mostly cloudy and showery, with temperatures again struggling to get out of the 40s for afternoon highs.

The sunshine returns on Friday and things will be warming fast this weekend, back near 80 degrees early next week.

Orlando 7-Day Weather Forecast

 

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the FOX 35 Storm Team on Jan. 21, 2025.

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