Thunderstorms along the leading edge of a cold front pushing across the Florida Peninsula down a few trees near Brandon and Willow Oak in Hillsborough County.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.
Thunderstorms along the leading edge of a cold front pushing across the Florida Peninsula down a few trees near Brandon and Willow Oak in Hillsborough County.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Tampa Bay, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 18, 7:50 AM EST, 4 hours 40 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
750 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
...New UPDATE, AVIATION...
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Showers expected this morning before diminishing through mid
afternoon.
- Freezing temperatures tonight into Monday morning from around
I-4 northward, with dangerous feels like temperatures areawide.
- Hazardous marine conditions developing today and continuing
into the middle of the week.
&&
.UPDATE...
Issued at 750 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
The cold front will sweep through the region today with some
showers ahead of it. Gusty south to southwest winds will develop
this morning ahead of the boundary then shift to northwest to
north behind it. Gusts to around 40 mph will be possible for a few
hours behind the front, then winds will diminish by later this
afternoon and evening. With boundary moving through during the
day we'll see a wide range of high temperatures. With the front
reaching our northern counties during the next few hours highs
will only be in the mid 50s, while the southern interior and
southwest counties will climb into the middle to upper 70s before
the cold dry air rushes in behind the boundary.
&&
.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 750 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
Areas of MVFR ceilings are expected through the day with some
visibility restrictions possible in showers. VFR conditions will
then prevail for tonight. South to southwest winds will increase
to around 15 knots and gusty ahead of the cold front this
morning, then shift to northwest to north at 15 to 25 knots with
higher gusts this afternoon. Northerly winds will diminish by
this evening and subside to 5 to 10 knots later this evening and
overnight.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 325 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
An U/L trough remains over the C/E U.S. this morning with a
shortwave disturbance rounding its base along the N Gulf coast. At
the surface, a frontal boundary extends across the panhandle and
into the Gulf from a Mid-Atlantic low. The boundary will push
across the peninsula later this morning into the afternoon as the
shortwave swings across the N Gulf/SE U.S., bringing a round of
showers this morning into afternoon across the local area with
amounts of up to around a half inch across the Nature Coast and
diminishing amounts of a few tenths or less southward across the
remainder of WC/SWFL. Breezy W/SW winds developing ahead of the
front this morning shift to N/NW in its wake and become gusty this
afternoon, up to 25-30 mph and locally higher. Daily high temps
will be achieved prior to frontal passage before falling through
the remainder of the day, generally from the mid 50s to around 70
from the Nature Coast to around I-4, and up to the mid/upper 70s
southward. Cold dry air advecting into the state behind the front
will lead to temps falling mostly into the 40s/50s by early
evening, continuing to fall overnight into the mid/upper 20s
across the Nature Coast, lower to mid 30s for non-coastal
WC/SWFL, and upper 30s/lower 40s along the immediate coast. Spotty
Hard Freeze conditions are possible across the Nature Coast, and
dangerous wind chills in the 20s/30s are expected areawide, with
the previous Freeze Watch for areas along/north of I-4 having been
upgraded to a Freeze Warning, and a Cold Weather Advisory for the
entire area given the expected wind chills. After the cold start,
Monday afternoon highs remain some 10-15 degrees below normal,
only warming into the mid 50s north to mid 60s south.
Conditions gradually improve into mid week, although freezing
temps remain possible mainly across the Nature Coast on Tuesday
morning, with frost potential extending south into WCFL. Lows warm
into the 40s/50s through mid week while afternoon highs warm into
the 60s/70s. A frontal system looks to push across the Gulf and
peninsula over the latter half of the week bringing another round
of rain chances and a brief, slight cool down, before a more
pronounced warm up appears possible next weekend.
&&
.MARINE...
Issued at 325 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
Increasing winds and area of seas reaching Small Craft Advisory
levels today in the wake of a cold front moving across the waters
accompanied by a band showers this morning into afternoon.
Advisory conditions are expected to gradually end from north to
south tonight into early Monday, but a tight pressure gradient
will keep winds around Exercise Caution levels through midweek,
with another round of rain chances beyond midweek as another
frontal system moves across the waters.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 325 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
Showers likely this morning into early afternoon in association with
a cold front pushing across the region, followed by gusty northwest
to north winds developing across the area behind the boundary
ushering in another round of cold dry air. Winds diminish below 15
mph on Monday, but widespread critical relative humidity values are
expected. By Tuesday, a moderating trend will get underway with
moisture recovering and limiting critical RHs to areas north of I-4,
with the trend continuing through remainder of the week.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TPA 68 38 60 40 / 60 0 0 0
FMY 74 39 64 44 / 20 0 0 0
GIF 71 34 60 38 / 50 0 0 0
SRQ 72 39 61 41 / 70 0 0 0
BKV 65 28 59 29 / 70 0 0 0
SPG 69 43 60 45 / 70 0 0 0
&&
.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...Cold Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 9 AM EST Monday
for Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Citrus-Coastal Hernando-
Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal Lee-Coastal Levy-Coastal
Manatee-Coastal Pasco-Coastal Sarasota-DeSoto-Hardee-
Highlands-Inland Charlotte-Inland Citrus-Inland Hernando-
Inland Hillsborough-Inland Lee-Inland Levy-Inland Manatee-
Inland Pasco-Inland Sarasota-Pinellas-Polk-Sumter.
Freeze Warning from midnight tonight to 9 AM EST Monday for
Coastal Citrus-Coastal Hernando-Coastal Levy-Inland Citrus-
Inland Hernando-Inland Hillsborough-Inland Levy-Inland
Pasco-Polk-Sumter.
High Rip Current Risk from 11 AM EST this morning through Monday
morning for Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal
Lee-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Sarasota-Pinellas.
Gulf waters...Small Craft Advisory until 7 PM EST this evening for
Tampa Bay waters.
Small Craft Advisory until 1 AM EST Monday for Charlotte Harbor
and Pine Island Sound.
Small Craft Advisory until 7 PM EST this evening for Coastal
waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM-
Waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 to
60 NM.
Small Craft Advisory until 1 AM EST Monday for Coastal waters
from Englewood to Tarpon Springs FL out 20 NM-Waters from
Englewood to Tarpon Springs FL out 20 to 60 NM.
Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM EST Monday for Coastal waters
from Bonita Beach to Englewood FL out 20 NM-Waters from
Bonita Beach to Englewood FL out 20 to 60 NM.
&&
UPDATE/AVIATION...Close
DISCUSSION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...Hurt
DECISION SUPPORT/UPPER AIR...DavisPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
1128 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1104 AM Marine Tstm Wind 1 WNW Sarasota 27.34N 82.56W
01/18/2026 M42 MPH GMZ853 FL Mesonet
Mesonet station XSRB Sarasota Bay Marker 17.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
1148 AM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1140 AM Marine Tstm Wind 2 NNW Venice 27.12N 82.47W
01/18/2026 E42 MPH Sarasota FL Public
Reported at Mesonet station in Nokomis.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
1202 PM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1200 PM Marine Tstm Wind 1 NNE Manasota Key 26.93N 82.35W
01/18/2026 E43 MPH GMZ856 FL Public
Mesonet station on Tom Adams Bridge near
Englewood.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
1214 PM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1157 AM Marine Tstm Wind 1 SE Grove City 26.90N 82.31W
01/18/2026 M44 MPH Charlotte FL Mesonet
Mesonet station XGRV Grove City.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
1224 PM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1223 PM Marine Tstm Wind Boca Grande 26.75N 82.26W
01/18/2026 E46 MPH Lee FL Mesonet
Mesonet station on Boca Grande.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
1230 PM EST Sun Jan 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1205 PM Marine Tstm Wind Boca Grande 26.75N 82.26W
01/18/2026 M46 MPH Lee FL Mesonet
Corrects the time observed on previous
marine tstm wind report from Boca Grande.
Mesonet station on Boca Grande.
&&The Tampa radar (KTBW), 29 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:28 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
County fire rescue reported a tree down across power lines near Brandon.
County fire rescue reported a tree down across power lines near Willow Oak.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, January 2026
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1315412, 1315413.