JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This weekend the door opens up to Arctic air that brings the fourth freeze of the season to Jacksonville. The weather spins from cool and wet Saturday to freezing and windy Sunday.
It is going to get very messy in Florida and across the nation's southeast starting Friday night and all day Saturday.
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Low pressure will develop in the Gulf and track across Florida Saturday resulting in heavy rain around the First Coast. Models estimate around 1.5 inches to 2 inches of rain by Saturday night.
Saturday will be a lousy day for outdoor activities between cool 50s, rain and breezy northerly winds. Sunday will be colder with highs struggling to reach 50.
You won't need to drive far to see snow Saturday with it falling as far south as north central Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina. Although totals may only be less than an inch in those spots, over a foot of snow could fall in the North Carolina mountains and northeast to the Chesapeake Bay. Just be safe and hit the roads Friday to avoid ice and sleet.
Freezing temperatures are possible across inland areas Saturday night into Sunday morning. Monday morning, Arctic air has the potential for a hard freeze with temps at or below 28 west of highway 301. Winds gusting to 30 along the coast will preclude any freeze threat closer to the Atlantic.
The combination of winds circulating around a high pressure over the eastern states and a bombing sea storm will funnel the cold down from northern Canada. The below average temps linger into Tuesday before a return to upper 60s to round out the rest of the week.