Here comes another freeze! This one keeps us bundled until the weekend.

Hard freeze, freeze warnings for Thursday morning (midnight to 9 a.m.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla – Here comes the hard freeze, as of 7 p.m. Southern Georgia is already experiencing air temperatures at or below 32°. Wind chills there are dropping into the low 20s and it's still early evening.

And those freezing temperatures are spreading southward and will be just a matter of time, most likely after midnight, that Jacksonville will also experience below freezing temperatures.

Greatest threat from the cold is everyone being smart while staying warm. Simple reminders include: not to move hot space heaters, especially Kerosene space heaters as the oil, if spilled, the Kerosene can ignite without flame hitting it. Also, don't overload electrical sockets with too many heating elements (space heater, electric blankets) as this can lead to fires as well.

The 5 P's play big for nearly everyone. 

The biggest question I get regarding the 5 P's, is about pipes.

97% of us don't need to worry, but for those whose pipes are not insulated (attic crawl space) and for those whose house is "off grade" (which means the house is built above the ground), you should run water from the tap furthest away from where your water source enters the house.

But wait! There are more freezing temperatures to come...

Friday morning will also have temperatures well below freezing, although beach temperatures may not be much below 32°.  Friday will be partly cloudy with afternoon highs reaching the mid 50s. 

Weekend temperatures will rebound, hitting the mid 60s on Saturday and low 70s on Sunday. The next good chance for showers is Monday. 

Sunrise: 7:24 a.m.
Sunset: 5:51 p.m.


About the Authors:

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.