Temperatures dip below freezing overnight

Temperatures dip early Wednesday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another freeze is forecast Tuesday night and early Wednesday, with inland areas seeding hard freeze by morning.

A cold front pushed through the area on Tuesday afternoon. Ahead of that cold front were the mildest weather we saw all week -- afternoon temperatures hitting the upper 60s.  Small showers dropped less than a tenth of an inch of rain with the frontal passage.  Gusty winds out of the northwest accompanied the front pushing through -- winds peaking as high as 30 mph, as much colder, drier air sunk through the Southeast. 

Temperatures dive below freezing early Wednesday morning -- expect an inland hard freeze with lows in the mid  20s at their coldest.  Areas will see five to eight hours below freezing and should take precautions to protect your pets, plants, and any exposed pipes.  

Heating your home safely should also be the utmost priority, and does not include the use of space heaters unsupervised overnight.  House fires are an unfortunate side effect of cold snaps, many sparked by mistakes made while heating homes.  Wind chills will also be brutal area-wide.

Areas to the east of I-95 should only see 3-6 hours below freezing with temperatures in the upper twenties to mid 30s. Pipes will not be a concern, but out door pets and tropical, tender, or freshly planted plants should be kept warm.  

Daytime temperatures on Wednesday never reach the 50s, with afternoon highs struggling into the upper 40s.  Northwest winds between 15 and 20 mph will add insult to injury, keeping it feeling even chillier than actual temperatures.

Expect a less intense freeze overnight Wednesday and early Thursday, with overnight lows sinking into the low 30s.

Temperatures struggle to warm into the seasonal range until the weekend.Â