Tuesday morning's low temperature broke a record for the date and extends the record for the most freezes of any December to 15 There have now been 40 freezes in Jacksonville in 2010 -- more freezes than any any year since weather record keeping began.
Another freeze is in the forecast -- with a hard freeze warning in effect from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 9 a.m. Wednesday -- followed by a rapid warm up.
The brisk wind from the west that kept the feels-like temperature below freezing all day Monday died down, allowing temperature at Jacksonville International Airport to drop to 21 overnight, breaking the previous record of 24 degrees set in 1925.
Just Weather:Forecast | Wind Chill | Freeze WarningsSnow: |
Temperatures in the low 20s were reported across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia around dawn Tuesday. A weather station at Cecil Field recorded 18 degrees at 6 a.m.
Freeze warnings extend as far south as West Palm Beach, causing major concern for agricultural interests across the state for the second time this month.
Forecasters also warned that the cold, dry air improves conditions for wildfires to spread, and fire weather warnings are also in effect for most of the state.
Channel 4 meteorologist Richard Nunn was forecasting highs in the 70s by Friday and above-average temperatures to ring in the New Year.
The National Weather Service said this December is running 9 to 10 degrees below average and is on track to be the coldest December on record.
Florida Flurries
The day after Christmas brought a rare gift for the area: snowflakes.
The first reports Sunday morning came from Homerville, Ga., into Nassau, Baker and Columbia counties in Florida. By 9:30 a.m., there were reports from Jacksonville's Westside, Ortega, Southside, San Pablo and south to Middleburg.
A few flakes were seen outside EverBank Field by fans braving bitter conditions to tailgate before the Jaguars-Redskins game. Meteorologists recorded a trace of snowfall at Jacksonville International Airport, the first since 2001.
None of the snowfall stuck to the ground, but did put an exclamation point on a record year for Florida.
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