JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A sharp fall cold blast will drive wind chills into the 20s and produce a hard freeze in parts of north Florida and southeast Georgia late tonight into early Tuesday, threatening tender plants, outdoor pipes, and unprotected pets. Inland lows are expected to dip into the upper 20s, with coastal areas near freezing by daybreak.
According to the National Weather Service offices in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay/Ruskin, Tallahassee, and Melbourne, a Freeze Warning is in effect late tonight through early Tuesday for much of the Big Bend, Suwannee Valley, and southeast Georgia, with a Cold Weather Advisory covering the Jacksonville metro, St. Johns/Flagler coasts, Central Florida’s I-4 corridor, and the Tampa Bay area overnight through Tuesday morning. Wind chills as low as 18–25° are possible inland, mid-20s to low 30s closer to the coast.
Impacts will be most acute midnight to 9 a.m. Tuesday, when frost and sub-freezing temperatures can kill crops and sensitive landscaping and freeze exposed pipes. Officials urge residents to cover faucets, wrap exposed plumbing, and open cabinets for indoor pipes along exterior walls. Bring pets indoors, check on elderly neighbors, and use space heaters with 3-foot clearance; never use generators or grills inside. Drivers along I-10, I-95, and I-75 should watch for patches of black ice in colder rural corridors and on bridges before sunrise.
Along the Nature Coast (Levy/Citrus/Hernando), sub-freezing readings are expected 2–8 a.m. Tuesday. Across the Tampa Bay counties and the Space Coast, wind chills will settle in the 20s to low 30s toward daybreak. Conditions moderate by late morning Tuesday as sunshine returns, but another cold night is likely for inland spots Tuesday night.
