HOW LONG THIS COLD AIR WILL STICK AROUND. BROOKE. THANK YOU. WELL, WINTER IS HERE, AND BY FLORIDA STANDARDS, THIS IS COLD. TEMPERATURES WENT INTO THE LOW 40S WITH WIND CHILLS JUST ABOVE FREEZING IN OKEECHOBEE, WHICH IS WHERE WE FIND OUR JOLIE RODRIGUEZ WITH HOW PEOPLE THERE ARE BRACING FOR THE COLD TEMPS THIS WEEK. AFTER THAT WINTER STORM PASSED THROUGH, MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY, MOST PEOPLE WOULDN’T THINK TWICE ABOUT TEMPERATURES IN THE 40S. BUT HERE IN FLORIDA, WE ARE FORCED TO PULL OUT THE LAYERS. WE DON’T TYPICALLY USE. THE WINDCHILL WAS LIKE COMING FROM THE NORTH POLE, A FLORIDIANS VERSION OF FREEZING MAY LOOK DIFFERENT TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. OKEECHOBEE COUNTY WOKE TO A COLD START ON TUESDAY, WITH TEMPS REACHING THE LOW 40S AND WIND CHILLS RIGHT ABOVE FREEZING. A DAY LIKE THIS. IF I WERE GOING TO BE OUT IN THE ELEMENTS, I WOULD WEAR LONG HANDLES UNDERNEATH MY CLOTHES AND A HEAVIER JACKET. BUT FOR TRUCK DRIVER KIRK CORWIN, WHO JUST CAME FROM NORTH CAROLINA TODAY REQUIRED NOTHING BUT A LIGHT JACKET. I DON’T HAVE MY LONG JOHNS OR MY LONG SOCKS ON, SO I’M DOING GOOD TODAY. BUT AS FLORIDA FRIENDS, JOINING HIM FOR COFFEE THIS MORNING SAY HE BROUGHT THAT COLD DOWN HERE. HE DID UNTIL HE GOT HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA, INCLUDING OKEECHOBEE AND PARTS OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES HAVE COLD WEATHER ADVISORIES IN PLACE FOR THE COMING DAYS. SHARP CONTRAST WAS I WAS IN SHORTS YESTERDAY. NOW I’M IN. I’M IN LONG PANTS AND A PULLOVER TODAY. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE COLD HERE. WE EXPECT BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH, WITH THE STRONGEST PART OF THE COLD FRONT MOVING IN OVER THE WEEKEND, BRINGING THE COLDEST AIR YOU CAN STAY WEATHER AWARE ON OUR FRE
Florida residents brace for wind chills just above freezing
Updated: 12:47 PM EST Jan 27, 2026
After the winter storms that passed through the majority of the country, most people would not think twice about temps in the 40s, but in Florida, many of us are reaching for the extra layers we do not typically need.“The wind chill was like coming from the North Pole,” described David Hazelleef, an Okeechobee resident.Okeechobee County woke to a cold start Tuesday, with temperatures in the low 40s and wind chills just above freezing.“On a day like this, if we’re going to be out in the elements, I would wear long johns underneath my clothes and a heavier jacket,” said Hazelleef.However, for truck driver Kirk Corwin, who just came from North Carolina, Tuesday’s weather called for nothing more than a light jacket.“I don’t have my long johns or my long socks on, so I’m doing well today,” said Corwin.Inland South Florida, including Okeechobee and parts of Indian River counties, has cold weather advisories in place for the coming days.“A sharp contrast, I was in shorts yesterday, and now I’m in long pants and pullover today,” said Terry Burrows, an Okeechobee resident.This is only the beginning of the cold. The rest of the month is expected to bring below-average temperatures, with the strongest cold front bringing the coldest air of the year so far over the weekend.Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. —
After the winter storms that passed through the majority of the country, most people would not think twice about temps in the 40s, but in Florida, many of us are reaching for the extra layers we do not typically need.
“The wind chill was like coming from the North Pole,” described David Hazelleef, an Okeechobee resident.
Okeechobee County woke to a cold start Tuesday, with temperatures in the low 40s and wind chills just above freezing.
“On a day like this, if we’re going to be out in the elements, I would wear long johns underneath my clothes and a heavier jacket,” said Hazelleef.
However, for truck driver Kirk Corwin, who just came from North Carolina, Tuesday’s weather called for nothing more than a light jacket.
“I don’t have my long johns or my long socks on, so I’m doing well today,” said Corwin.
Inland South Florida, including Okeechobee and parts of Indian River counties, has cold weather advisories in place for the coming days.
“A sharp contrast, I was in shorts yesterday, and now I’m in long pants and pullover today,” said Terry Burrows, an Okeechobee resident.
This is only the beginning of the cold. The rest of the month is expected to bring below-average temperatures, with the strongest cold front bringing the coldest air of the year so far over the weekend.
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.