Freeze and hard freeze warnings issued for Friday night

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mother nature is going to remind us today and tonight that February is still the heart of winter and freeze and hard freeze warnings are hoisted area wide. 

A hard freeze warning (pink) has been issued for all of southeast Georgia and all of our Florida counties with the exception of St. Johns, Flagler, coastal Duval and coastal Nassau counties.

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A hard freeze warning means that temperatures are expected/likely to drop to or below 27°F for at least 2 hours. 

A freeze warning (blue) is in effect for all coastal regions including coastal Camden and Glynn counties in Georgia as well as coastal Duval and Nassau, St. Johns and Flagler counties. A freeze watch means temperatures of 32 degrees or less are likely.

Temperatures are expected to fall into the mid and upper 20s and lower 30s for coastal areas tonight. Seen at right are the expected lows across our region Saturday morning. This is just model data. At this time though, we do expect most areas to be in the 20s to get you started Saturday morning with coastal regions flirting with freezing.

Friday is going to be a cold day with most areas remaining in the 40s for daytime highs despite the bright sunshine. Strong Canadian high pressure has moved into the central US providing strong cold air advection (movement of cold air from north to south) into our region. As the high continues to moves south, our winds tonight will calm, skies will be clear and the temps are expected to plunge. Here's what you can expect by region:

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA/INLAND FLORIDA:

For those living in southeast Georgia, inland Florida including Gainesville and Lake City, all precautions should be taken including covering plants, giving your pets a warm place to sleep, looking out for vulnerable friends and family and protecting pipes and pools. Temperatures by Saturday morning will be in the mid to upper 20s. A hard freeze warning is in effect for all these areas.

DUVAL:

If you live in Duval county, especially west of downtown, all precautions should be taken here as well to take care of plants, pets, people as well as exposed pipes and back flow preventers. If you live east of I-95, just make sure your pets are warm and cover sensitive plants. Freezing temps at the coast, if they are achieved will be brief. Temperatures north and west of downtown will drop into the mid and upper 20s, including areas around Baldwin. Downtown should see temps near between 28 and 30 and on the southside near Baymeadows, Town Center and San Pablo should be near 29-31 degrees. A hard freeze watch is in effect for Duval county west of I-95 and a freeze warning is in effect for areas east of I-95.

BEACHES:

The beaches will get close to freezing Friday night therefore a freeze warning is in effect for all coastal regions from coastal Glynn and Camden counties in Georgia to coastal Duval and coastal Nassau counties. The freeze watch also encompasses all of St. Johns and Flagler counties.. Few precautions need to be taken here except for covering sensitive plants and bringing in your pets. The ocean will keep these areas insulated. Temperatures will still be cold with morning readings around 32-34 degrees.