A powerful cold front is set to bring freezing temperatures to parts of Florida, particularly the northern region.
Forecasters predict the season’s first freeze will develop overnight on Sunday, with temperatures along the I-10 corridor expected to plunge to or below freezing, Newsweek reports.
Northern Florida will bear the brunt of the cold snap, with cities like Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Lake City experiencing temperatures below 32°F.
Marianna in Jackson County is forecast to feel the coldest, with temperatures dropping to a bone-chilling 24 degrees on Monday morning, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Elsewhere, Panama City will feel like 25 degrees, while Crestview, Perry, Tallahassee, Lake City, Apalachicola, Graceville, Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Horseshoe Beach will see temperatures ranging between 27 degrees and 30 degrees.
As temperatures drop, a freeze warning is expected to be issued for several locations along the I-10 corridor from Sunday night into Monday morning.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), freeze warnings are issued when temperatures are forecast to dip below 32 degrees for several hours within the next 24 hours.Â
During a freeze warning, residents are advised to bring plants indoors and take steps to protect plumbing from freezing.
A powerful cold front is set to bring freezing temperatures to parts of Florida , particularly the northern region.
Temperatures in cities like Jacksonville, Pensacola, and Tallahassee are expected to drop below freezing. Some areas, such as Marianna, could feel as cold as 24 degrees Fahrenheit.
By the end of the first week of December, temperatures are expected to rebound to seasonal norms, reaching the mid- to upper 70s, according to Orlando TV station WKMG.
Meanwhile, the NWS Climate Prediction Center has cautioned about a possible ‘hard freeze’ impacting the Southeast, including northern Florida, early next week.Â
The center urged residents to protect vulnerable vegetation and reminded travelers heading south to pack jackets, sharing the advice on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A hard freeze warning is issued when temperatures are expected to fall below 28 degrees for at least three hours. Such events occur about once every decade in rural areas of interior South Florida and are even less common in coastal metropolitan regions.
Parts of Florida saw temperatures drop into the 30s last weekend, reaching as far south as Lake Okeechobee, according to meteorologist Jeff Berardelli from Tampa’s WFLA. The NWS notes that frost can form when temperatures range between 33°F and 36°F.
‘It’s a testament to the influence of dry air, clear skies and light winds. Radiational cooling,’ Berardelli said on X.
Meanwhile, winter weather warnings are in effect across multiple western states, with snow expected in parts of California.
Pictured: A nationwide temperature outlook as winter weather warnings are in effect across multiple multiple western states
‘The cold blast will feel like January and will deliver a significant shock to hundreds of millions of people who may have gotten used to warm conditions during much of the autumn,’ said Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather’s lead long-range meteorologist.
Florida-based meteorologist Ryan Maue added on X that about two-thirds of the U.S. population will experience ‘freezing or colder’ temperatures this weekend.