Winter weather expected on Wednesday

Sleet, ice and -- for some -- snow

Snow stops just short of Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Southeast expects an unusual round of winter weather, much farther south than usual.  Snow is predicted in Houston on Tuesday, and later in the day in Mississippi and Alabama.

At midnight on Tuesday across central and southern Georgia, cold air pushes up against the rain falling in our area. As temperatures continue to fall, sleet, ice and a mix of wintry precipitation are possible through the early morning hours, to the north of the Florida-Georgia line.  

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Accumulations will not be significant near the Channel 4 viewing area, but several inches could fall in western and central Georgia, and up into the Carolinas.

Not quite cold enough for snow in Jacksonville

"Later forecast models separate the cold from the moisture, which may reduce the totals predicted," Chief Meteorologist John Gaughan says. "This separation is a pretty common scenario."

For the Jacksonville area, cold -- very cold -- rain will fall for much of the morning on Wednesday, but the temperatures will be too warm for wintry precipitation in Jacksonville.  Wind-chill values Wednesday morning will be in the 20s. 

The forecast during the day on Wednesday depends heavily on how fast we dry out. If we dry and clear out quickly, as the GFS model predicts temperatures will warm into the upper 40s and low 50s.

Snowy in the Carolinas

If the moisture sticks around and cloudy skies persist, as other models predict, our temperatures will struggle to get out of the 30s during the day.

One concern we will all hear about will be travel troubles. I-95, I-10 and I-75 are all expected to see some significant frozen precipitation at some point on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On I-95, by the Carolinas, we could see 6-12 inches of snow.

Along I-10, snow and ice are possible just to the west of the panhandle of Florida, into Alabama and Mississippi.

On I-75, icy conditions are possible in and to the north of Valdosta.

The temperatures dip further down Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and the icy grip on the Southeast loosens as we head into the weekend.