Seaside Cold Front, FL — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Kristi Blokhin
As many Jacksonville locals will confirm, the arrival of the new year usually brings with it colder temperatures.
In fact, there has been a lot of discussion on the internet on the prospect of snow in Florida around January 10th due to an arctic blast of cold air.
Could winter precipitation actually occur, or is it just a rumor? The meteorologists at First Coast News know the answers.
For snow to occur, what would have to happen?
For this to occur, the right atmospheric conditions would need to be present.
You need frozen air first. A large blast of chilly air is giving the First Coast News Weather Team more confidence. Indeed, according to some predictions, temperatures will be about 20 degrees below average, which would mean that the freezing temperature threshold will be met. However, this is not a given, and we will still need to wait and see how cold it gets.
The precipitation comes next. For precipitation to enter the already-freezing airmass, a low pressure system is required. A clipper system does move out of the Gulf of Mexico and surge moisture in our direction, according to the GFS model. Will the frigid air match this? In north Florida, the model occasionally depicts a wintery mix. At other times, the snow only reaches Atlanta in the south. thus kind of large swing is to be expected from run to run thus far away from a system.
Furthermore, the timing is uncertain. The ECMWF predicts winter weather to arrive two days later than the GFS model, which predicts it will arrive between January 9 and 10.
So, is snow a possibility?
All of this indicates that the prediction is very uncertain. Is there a possibility? Yes, but it’s unlikely because several conditions would need to be ideal for this to occur. You are aware that the Most Accurate Weather Team on the First Coast will be closely monitoring it and providing you with updates.
When was the last snowfall in Jacksonville?
Just before Christmas 1989, a strange snowfall that dumped over two inches of snow on Jacksonville and Northeast Florida brought the city to a complete stop.
On December 22, Jacksonville’s streets and bridges started to freeze over, and by the next day, it was snowing, which caused most of the city to close.
For the Southeastern U.S. Coast, it was the biggest snowfall ever recorded.
What kind of weather can we expect in Jacksonville?
THURSDAY-FRIDAY: The high temperature keeps dropping below 60 degrees. Temperatures will dip from the 50s into the 40s for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
A chilly weekend with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s is to be expected.
LONG RANGE: We must monitor the possibility of a polar air outbreak over the deep south in the forecast beyond the seven-day period, given that we place less weight and less confidence in some longer-range computer modeling. Temperatures 10 to 15 degrees (or more in certain extreme situations) below average are predicted by some models and the Climate Prediction Center. This would be relevant to and have an effect on the days leading up to the January 10 weekend. Since that date is obviously outside of our normal seven-day prediction window, we won’t be overly concerned about hard freeze nights or mornings until we get closer to that time frame. We are keeping an eye on it, though, and will discuss it in our forecasts both online and on television.
The Jacksonville Weather Service’s forecast is summarized as follows:
Late Thursday evening and early Friday morning saw a light inland freeze and frost.
Low humidity and a breeze There is a higher risk of fire on Friday and Saturday.
Long-lasting, widespread inland freezing on Saturday night and early Sunday.
Late Friday afternoon until early Saturday morning, there are small craft advisory conditions.
On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, there is a chance of a hard freeze in inland areas.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
