A Freeze Warning will be in effect for inland southeast Georgia west of I-95 and inland northeast Florida including western Nassau and Duval counties, as well as inland areas west of Highway 301 from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday. Morning lows will drop into the 20s and 30s for southeast Georgia, and in the 30s and 40s for northeast Florida.
A Frost Advisory will be in effect for Clay and Putnam counties west of the St. Johns River for northeast Florida and coastal Camden and coastal Glynn counties for southeast Georgia from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday. The late-season freeze follows a strong cold front that moved across the area Tuesday, bringing noticeable rain and several reports of damage caused by high winds.
Trees, powerlines and some roofs were damaged in the stronger storms that accompanied the front. In Georgia, Alma set a new rainfall record with 2.20 inches, surpassing the previous record of 2.02 inches set in 1975. Jacksonville received 0.64 inches of rain, leaving the city with a growing deficit of -4.41 inches.
Wednesday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies after the morning freeze and frost conditions end at 9 a.m. Afternoon highs will reach the 50s and 60s across the region. Winds will be from the northeast at 10-15 mph throughout the day.
The overnight conditions Wednesday into Thursday will be mostly clear and not as cold as the previous night. Temperatures will warm through the rest of the week and into the weekend, reaching near seasonal levels Thursday and climbing through Sunday. The dry pattern is expected to continue across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia.
Residents are advised to grab a jacket, protect pets and get blankets for plants during the freeze warning period. Sunrise Wednesday will occur at 7:34 a.m., with sunset at 7:36 p.m. The freeze warning represents unseasonably cold conditions for mid-March in the region.