East coast bracing for winters coldest outbreak

What’s stopping the Arctic blast from reaching Jacksonville?

.

Cooler air sent the record heat wave south behind Friday’s cold front, but the blast of cold only sticks around for a brief day.

While we reel with chilly low 60s Saturday, the northern tier along the Eastern Seaboard will face the coldest Arctic air of the season.

Recommended Videos



Only once this winter have temperatures reached the teens in New York City, yet this weekend could see lows below 20°.

In New England, Saturday morning temperatures dip below zero, with 20s and 30s in much of the South.

While here in Jacksonville our lows cool into the low 40s Saturday morning which should be the coolest night we see over the upcoming week.

Our plants survive this short cool snap with 70s returning Sunday and lingering through next week.

The brief nature of the glancing cool down is simply due to the configuration of the jet stream not pointed south. The southwest to westerly upper level winds diverted the Arctic air away from Florida as shown by the jet stream maps below.

Southwest jet steam slowed the southward advancement of cold air
Flat west to east flow bottles cold north and provides a warm up next week.

About the Author:

After covering the weather from every corner of Florida and doing marine research in the Gulf, Mark Collins settled in Jacksonville to forecast weather for The First Coast.