Red flag warning in effect today
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hey, it’s your News4JAX meteorologist here to keep you in the know about today’s weather. We’re under a red flag warning in Jacksonville, and that means today is shaping up to be a true fire weather day.
Let me break it down: The warning goes into effect at 12 p.m., right as temperatures push up toward the mid-90s. With wind gusts already in the teens and climbing, combined with all this dry vegetation and drought, even normal wind speeds can quickly turn dangerous.
On an average day, wind like this probably wouldn’t raise a red flag. But today, with everything so dry, it absolutely does.
Severe storms and tornado watch possible
Now let’s talk about the storms tracking just to our west. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch to the west of us. That means folks in and around Jacksonville could see impactful storms as we move into the afternoon and evening.
Our Exact Track 4D radar shows a strong line of storms waiting to move through Georgia before pushing closer to us. The timing of this would likely be 2pm-7pm from Georgia into Florida. We could see strong to severe storms during that timeline combined with threats in the category of gusty winds, isolated tornadoes, heavy downpours, and lightning. There’s already a ton of lightning activity—at last count, more than 360 lightning strikes. That much lightning, combined with our drought conditions, is a recipe for heightened fire danger.
We’re also looking at a small—though not zero—tornado risk as these storms continue east. Rain and gusty winds will be part of the mix, too, so I’ll be here all day tracking it for you.
What to expect in the forecast
For today, you can expect it to feel like 96 degrees at times. Wind gusts are expected to pick up later this afternoon, rising into the mid-20s and even near 30 mph in some spots.
Our 3-day forecast is showing 90s today but cooling to the 80s soon. There’s a slight severe weather risk, especially where that tornado watch is in place, with a marginal risk further out. The 7-day outlook points to slightly quieter weather heading into next week.
If you spot wild weather or smoky skies, snap a photo or video and share it with us on SnapJAX at https://www.news4jax.com/snapjax/.
Fire prevention remains critical
Finally, just a reminder—hot temperatures, strong winds, and dry grounds are pushing up the fire risk. Every little precaution helps, so let’s all stay alert, check for local alerts, and keep an eye on how conditions change today.