CENTRAL FLORIDA — Several cold weather shelters are opening this weekend across Central Florida as temperatures are expected to drop below 40 degrees.

The Sunshine State is staring down a chilly weekend and for those without heat, preparations are underway to keep Floridians warm as cold weather shelters are opening in time for a frigid Saturday morning.

The Salvation Army is just one of many host sites, providing a place promising heat and shelter for people who do not have a warm place to stay.

Saturday is expected to be the worse cold weather conditions of the weekend, with low temps and winds that might make it hard to stay warm for those living outdoors or even in homes without heat.

Orange County

Main homeless shelters

  • Coalition for the Homeless Shelter
    18 N. Terry Avenue
    Orlando, FL 32801

Other shelters in Orange County

  • The Salvation Army Orlando
    416 West Colonial Drive
    Orlando

  • Orlando Union Rescue Mission
    3300 West Colonial Drive
    Orlando

Warming center in case of overflow.

Lynx buses will give free rides to those who need transportation to the shelters listed above.

Flagler County

The Sheltering Tree, an organization under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center, will open a cold weather shelter Friday and Saturday night at the Church on the Rock, located at 2200 N. State Street in Bunnell. The shelter will open at 5:30 p.m. each evening and close at 8 a.m. the following day.

The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, following these schedules:

  • Dollar General at Publix Town Center, 3:30 p.m.
  • Near the McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100, 4 p.m.
  • Dollar Tree by Carrabba’s and Walmart, 4:30 p.m.
  • Palm Coast Main Branch Library, 4:45 p.m.
  • Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.
  • Bunnell Free Clinic, 4:30 p.m.
  • First United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 4:30 p.m.

Osceola County

First United Methodist Church St. Cloud, located at 1000 Ohio Avenue, will open as a cold weather shelter on Saturday. Doors open at 8 p.m. Anyone needing transportation to the shelter can use LYNX buses at no cost by alerting drivers you are going to the cold weather shelter. People can sign up for alerts on their phone by texting "coldweather" to 888777. 

Lake County

The county will open two weather shelters Friday and Saturday night:

Trinity Assembly of God (200 Urick Street, Fruitland Park)  

  • Will begin accepting residents at 5:30 p.m. on Friday
  • Open 5:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday

LifePointe Church (3551 E. Orange Avenue, Eustis)

  • Will begin accepting residents at 5 p.m. Friday
  • Open from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday