Freezing Temperatures Return to Florida Tonight
Icicles cling to oranges in a small grove just after sunrise Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012, in Seffner, Fla. Temperatures in central Florida dipped into the 20s overnight. Farmers spray water on their crops that forms a protective layer of ice to help keep them around 32 degrees, protecting them from freeze damage. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
A blast of arctic air taking aim on the eastern part of the country will lead to multiple nights of freezing temperatures along the Gulf Coast.
The freezing temperatures could even affect part of the citrus crop over central Florida tonight and Sunday night.
Florida's citrus crop is produced across much of the central and southern part of the state beginning with the counties of Marion, Lake, and Volusia extending southward to the Keys.
The area that AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Frank Strait is concerned about lies in between Orlando and Tampa.
Strait states that, "there are some tomato crops grown in that region along with strawberries, both of which are sensitive to subfreezing temperatures."
"Low temperatures across that area both tonight and Sunday night will average 26-30 degrees area-wide with subfreezing readings expected for between four and six hours," said Strait.
Even as far south as the Tampa and Orlando metro areas, low temperatures the next two nights will fall into the mid-30s, which is 16-20 degrees below average for this time of year.
It has been a while since Florida experienced widespread freezing temperatures. In fact, the last time that Jacksonville and Pensacola dropped into the 20s was nearly a month ago on the morning of Jan. 14.
That cold outbreak sent 30-degree temperatures as far south as Fort Myers!
This outbreak will be fairly similar with mid-30 degree readings expected down to about Lake Okeechobee.
Even Miami will likely tumble into the 40s the next two nights which is about 15 degrees below average.
Thankfully, after two nights of subfreezing temperatures, some moderation is forecast by Monday and Monday night with temperatures above freezing across the entire peninsula.
This warming trend will continue then through much of next week with high temperatures rising well above normal by midweek.
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 100° | Smyrna, TN |
| Low | 15° | Sunset Crater, AZ |
| Precip | 3.99" | Wadena, MN |
WeatherWhys®
Hail is much more common during the months of May and June compared to July and August. The main reason is the fact that the freezing level is usually higher during July and August as pockets of cold air in the upper atmosphere are less common as the jet stream weakens and retreats farther north.
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