Foggy mornings, Warm Afternoons

In a rare sight in Florida, snow plows were deployed across the state on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning to help clear the roads of snow and ice.

As a historic winter storm hit Florida and Georgia on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, thousands were left without power.

As a historic winter storm hit Florida and Georgia on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, thousands were left without power.

Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday is set to hold a news conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee as a powerful winter storm is beginning to hit Florida.

Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday afternoon that Florida could see a record amount of snow in the Panhandle over the next 24 hours as a rare winter storm hits the state.

Showers end late, Sunny skies end the week

Florida's largest power company is preparing for this year's hurricane season by pretending a major storm already hit.

As the shutdown of a major fuel pipeline entered into its fifth day, efforts are underway to stave off potential fuel shortages, though no widespread disruptions were evident and gas prices have remained stable.

A homeless Army veteran is being called a hero for pulling the driver of a burning car to safety following a head-on crash in Florida’s Panhandle.

Sunny skies lead to mostly clear conditions tonight with temps in the mid 50s to the lower 60s.

Worst on Saturday will be in the Panhandle yet expect rains/downpours for JaxJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This is an update to the challenging weekend forecast. After decades of forecasting, I have always been leery over the “sure thing” forecast. As we head into the weekend, the forecast models sure seem to be telling everyone who is willing to listen that heavy rains are a “sure thing” for this weekend. But, if I told you there was a 93% chance of rain, you would most likely conclude, “Dang, it is going to rain a ton”. AdYet, this is where the forecast models really unload, forecasting anywhere between 1-3″ of rain over Jacksonville (higher amounts in Georgia) during the next six days.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The death toll of Florida prison inmates from COVID-19 has reached 189, with two additional deaths listed Wednesday on the state Department of Corrections website. Since the start of the pandemic, 17,021 inmates and 3,845 corrections workers have tested positive for COVID-19, department numbers show. As of Wednesday, 420 inmates were in medical isolation -- with 316 of those at Walton Correctional Institution in the Panhandle. Meanwhile, 93% of the corrections workers who tested positive have been cleared to return to their jobs. It was not immediately clear where the two additional inmate deaths occurred.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – More than two years after Hurricane Michael hit Florida’s Panhandle, members of the First United Methodist Church are back in their sanctuary in time for the holiday season. The Category 5 hurricane destroyed much of the church in October 2018, and then COVID-19 kept parishioners away. To avoid large gatherings, the church then began using the chapel and the Trinity Center, which had been repaired from hurricane damage. He said there is now a deep sense of belief that greater things are yet to come for the church, the city and the entire area. “It would have been very easy to throw in the towel, but the church did not,” Pridgeon said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – An additional four Florida prison inmates have died of COVID-19, while state officials said they have taken steps after a surge in coronavirus cases at a Panhandle prison. The Department of Corrections said Thursday on its website that the deaths of 184 inmates have been linked to COVID-19, up from 180 reported last week. Meanwhile, the department said Tuesday it has taken additional steps after more than 300 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at Walton Correctional Institution. As of Thursday morning, 318 inmates at the prison were reported to have tested positive and were in medical isolation. “The great majority of inmates at Walton CI who have tested positive presented mild or no symptoms of the virus when they were tested,” the news release said.

Hurricane Sally is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast sometime through the night and morning. – Hurricane Sally, a plodding but powerful storm with winds of 100 mph, crept toward the northern Gulf Coast early Tuesday, with forecasters warning of potentially deadly storm surges, flash floods spurred by up to 2 feet (.61 meters) of rain and the possibility of tornadoes. Claunch marveled at how the Gulf waters had already crept over swaths of sandy shore and infiltrated bike paths and parking lots. Sally achieved hurricane strength Monday and quickly intensified to a Category 2 storm with 100 mph (161 kph) winds. Forecasters expect winds to increase to up to 110 mph (177 kph) over the warm Gulf waters before the storm blows ashore.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With storm warnings issued that include Florida’s Panhandle, the Atlantic storm season is a Wilfred away from going Greek. Hurricane Sally was threatening the Gulf Coast on Monday, with a hurricane warning in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Navarre, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Navarre in Santa Rosa County to Indian Pass in Gulf County. Meanwhile, the hurricane center on Monday was tracking four other named storms in the Atlantic Ocean — Paulette, Rene, Teddy and Vicky. That has only occurred once before, in 2005, when there were 27 named storms.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Firefighters are battling a pair of wildfires in the Panhandle that have consumed more than 2,500 acres, closed a portion of Interstate 10 and destroyed structures. JFRD Battalion Chief Trace Barrow told News4Jax on Thursday the firefighters haven’t slept since they got the call at 10 p.m. Wednesday that they would be traveling to the Panhandle. On Thursday, JFRD said, firefighters worked to put out structure fires near Milton, Florida, where the Five Mile Swamp Fire raged. “I know that just the area that we that our crews have worked, at least 10 to 12 residential houses were destroyed, completely destroyed," Barrow said. For Barrow, the hardest part is seeing families return to their now unrecognizable homes.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Floridians in the Panhandle and Big Bend, including those in areas hit by Hurricane Michael last year, could see impacts this weekend from Tropical Storm Nestor. The storm won't have the 162 mph sustained winds that Hurricane Michael brought on shore near Mexico Beach on Oct. 10, 2018. But tropical-storm force winds can still cause minor damage, especially to property still unrepaired from Michael. "There is no such thing as just a tropical storm," Wool said. A tropical-storm warning was in effect Friday from Navarre to Yankeetown.

VIDEO: News4Jax reporter Jennifer Ready returned to the Panhandle for two days to bring us an update on the painstaking recovery effort in Panama City and other neighboring communities one year after Hurricane Michael.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Pointing to dry conditions and high temperatures, the Florida Forest Service on Thursday warned about wildfire threats in the state. Almost every county in Florida is below normal rainfall for September, with dry conditions particularly affecting the Panhandle, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which includes the forest service, said in a news release. "Florida's dry conditions and high temperatures pose elevated wildfire threats throughout the state," Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said. State Forester Jim Karels, the director of the forest service, said conditions in parts of Northwest Florida are worsened by timber that was heavily damaged in last year's Hurricane Michael. News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - As state lawmakers return to the Florida Capitol for the first round of committee weeks, one of the most pressing issues is hurricane recovery, especially from Hurricane Michael. Effects of the storm, which hit nearly a year ago, are still being felt in the Panhandle. In many ways, the Panhandle has lived up to its nickname, "The Forgotten Coast." A survey conducted this summer found 1 in 3 Floridians aren't even aware the storm hit in 2018. Legislators also are looking at ways to speed up insurance claims and prevent contractors from overcharging for storm repairs.

Hill proposed a similar bill for the 2019 legislative session (HB 6073), but it was not heard in committees. Red flag laws have drawn heavy attention nationwide after separate shootings last weekend that left 22 people dead in El Paso, Texas, and 10 people dead in Dayton, Ohio. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was among people urging U.S. Senate leaders to take up a red flag bill he introduced in 2018 after the Parkland shooting. On Monday, Florida Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, directed Senate Infrastructure and Security Chairman Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, to lead efforts to determine if any further action is needed on state gun laws. News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Floridas Division of Emergency Management is bracing for the potential growth of a storm system expected to move south into the Gulf of Mexico later this week, with particular attention given to Panhandle counties impacted by Hurricane Michael last year. Jason Mahon, spokesman for the division, said in a prepared statement Monday evening that the state continues to monitor and pre-plan for the system. The Division is also working closely with local officials in counties impacted by Hurricane Michael to ensure there are adequate supplies of food, water, shelter, stormwater pumps and generators, Mahon said in the statement. Environmental and ocean conditions are forecast to be conducive for development and a tropical depression is likely to form by the end of the week while the low moves slowly westward over northern Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane center predicted on Monday. Regardless of development, this system has the potential to produce heavy rainfall along portions of the northern and eastern U.S. Gulf Coast later this week.News Service of Florida

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - A survey of Floridians is reinforcing the belief among victims of Hurricane Michael that they've been forgotten as they continue their recovery efforts eight months after the Category 5 storm made landfall. According to the survey of 1,000 Floridians released Wednesday, almost half of respondents said they had no plans to do anything to help victims recover when asked if they would donate money, volunteer time or visit the Panhandle. The survey says 2 in 5 Floridians believe mistakenly that life has returned to normal in the Panhandle. The survey was conducted June 7 to June 11 on behalf of Rebuild 850, a coalition of groups dedicated to rebuilding the Panhandle. Separately, the U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday that it would award a $1.5 million grant to the county hardest hit by Hurricane Michael to pay for mental health workers in schools.