Florida could see temperatures drop above 20 degrees during freezing watch

What’s new

Parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia could see temperatures drop into the low thirties over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Why it matters

Temperatures as low as 30 degrees could occur, and people, plants and property exposed to those temperatures could be vulnerable, the NWS warns.

“Appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that tender vegetation and outdoor pets have adequate protection from the cold temperatures. Young children, the elderly and the homeless are particularly vulnerable to the cold. Take measures to protect them,” the NWS alert said.

What to know

The NWS issued a map of the areas affected by the freeze watch. The watch comes as temperatures Friday afternoon are in the mid-60s and are expected to be in the mid-50s on Saturday.

The freeze watch goes into effect late Saturday night into Sunday morning, the NWS says.

A few states north of Georgia are also under a winter weather advisory in West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. The area could see snow accumulations of one to three inches of snow, the NWS says. There could be wind gusts of 35 mph and six inches of snow in West Virginia.

“Plan for slick road conditions. The hazardous conditions may affect the Friday night commute, NWS says.”

What people say

In a phone call with Newsweek Friday, NWS meteorologist Jason Hess said that it is “very typical for this time of year,” to see a freezing clock. Hess added that the main concern is for plants and vegetation “after about four or five previous freezes we had in December. It could be another shock to the plants.”

“The duration of the freeze can be two to four hours, and along the I-10 corridor, Lake City and Live Oak are some of the larger cities in the freeze watch,” Hess said. It’s normal for the Jacksonville area to see about “12-15 freezing days in a year,” Hess noted, adding that’s different than the southern part of the state.

What happens next

Writing to X, formerly Twitter, NWS Tallahassee warned residents that the cooler air won’t last long, saying, “If you’re not a fan of the cold weather coming this weekend, warmer and wetter weather is on the way for Christmas @NWSCPC 6-10 day outlook for Dec 25-29 calls for above normal temperatures and precipitation for much of the country.