As December begins, Florida is expected to continue experiencing freezing temperatures on Sunday and into next week, sparking curiousness over the possibility of snow in the Sunshine State.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a freeze warning for portions of northeast and north-central Florida and will go into effect overnight into Monday morning. The warning comes as a polar cold front is expected to sweep across the state.
The freeze warning extends along the I-10 and I-75 corridors, stretching west of Jacksonville and down to Gainesville. Frost advisories are also in effect on the eastern edges of these areas between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday.
According to NWS, the temperatures amid the freeze warning could dip as low as 30 degrees as the warning is issued when temperatures are forecasted to go below 32 degrees for a long period of time.
While the cold snap might inspire dreams of a winter wonderland, Floridians shouldn’t expect to see snowflakes. Instead, dry air will dominate, pushing in behind the cold fronts.
“Right now, there’s no opportunity for any snow here through the holiday weekend and into the first week of December,” David Reese, a meteorologist with the NWS in Tallahassee, told USA Today. “Really dry air is pushing in behind the fronts. There will be a little moisture as the front moves through.”
Newsweek has reached out to Reese via a direct message on X, formerly Twitter, and the NWS via email for comment.
The western Panhandle and northeast Florida will experience similar conditions—cold, dry, and clear.
“Our little piece of Florida isn’t expecting snow,” Steve Miller, a meteorologist with NWS Mobile, Alabama, said, per USA Today. “It’ll be pretty dry and breezy, with inland freezes possible Saturday and Sunday.”
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While Florida isn’t exactly a winter wonderland, snow has occasionally dusted the state, delighting residents unaccustomed to the frosty phenomenon.
The first documented snowfall in Florida dates back to 1774, according to the Florida Climate Center. And while snow doesn’t fall every year, it’s not as rare as some might assume.
“Since 1886, there have been more than 80 months in which at least a trace of snow has been reported somewhere in the state,” the Climate Center revealed.
Monday night could be the coldest of the season so far, with temperatures dropping to freeze levels in Duval County and potentially hitting the hard freeze benchmark of 28 degrees in some areas, according to Angie Enyedi, an NWS meteorologist in Jacksonville.
“Could possibly have some locations getting to hard freeze criteria of 28 degrees, but it’ll stay dry and clear,” she said, per USA Today.
The NWS Climate Prediction Center has warned of a potential “hard freeze” affecting the Southeast, including northern parts of Florida. The center said this will likely hit early next week. “Please protect susceptible vegetation, and if you are traveling south, bring your jackets!” the center said in an X post.
A hard freeze warning is issued if the temperature is expected to be below 28 degrees for at least three hours. These occur in rural areas in the interior of south Florida about once every 10 years, and less frequently along coastal metropolitan areas.
NWS meteorologists have previously issued freeze warnings or freeze watches across nine Southern states on Thursday amid a cold front that saw temperatures drop below freezing overnight on Thanksgiving.
