Blue Spring State Park in Orange City: 655 manatees enjoying warm spring run today despite chilly temps across Central Florida

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer

ORANGE CITY, Fla. -- Blue Spring State Park officials counted 655 manatees enjoying the warm spring run Thursday.

With the chilly weather sticking around, officials said they are expecting "plenty of gentle giants" to continue seeking out the cozy 72-degree water the spring offers.

With the chilly weather sticking around, officials said they are expecting "plenty of gentle giants" to continue seeking out the cozy 72-degree water the spring offers.

While the water emperature holds steady at 72 degrees at Blue Spring State Park, the temperature in Orange City on Thursday afternoon was expected to pwak at 63 degrees wiith overnight temps at 42 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

Friday's weather in Orange City is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Overnight Friday could see a 20 percent chance of showers after 1am. It will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Calm wind becoming west northwest around 5 mph after midnight.

The weekend will see temps plummet due to an arctic blast, according to the NWS. 

Saturday will be Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. It will be windy, with a west wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. Overnight will be mostly clear, with a low around 23. Windy, with a west northwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Sunday will be unny, with a high near 46, along with a west northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Overnight Sunday will be clear, with a low around 26. West northwest wind around 5 mph.

Monday will be sunny, with a high near 55. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Manatee count a moment in time

"As always, this count is just one moment in time — manatees come and go throughout the day as they head out to the river to forage and then return to rest," the park said in a press release, adding, "What a beautiful sight for a winter morning at the spring."

Multimedia: Live cam manatee watch at Blue Spring State Park:

Headline Surfer YouTube Download / Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 / Blue Spring above water Manatee Camera livestreams manatees.
Henry Frederick press card / Headline SurferAbout the Byline Writer: 
Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He's also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz & the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. •  Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.