New freeze warning as Florida temperatures could drop 30 degrees

A cold front caused temperatures to plummet in areas of the Southeast on Friday, prompting National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters to issue a freeze warning to residents of northern Florida.

The NWS Jacksonville office cautioned that a large section of northern Florida and southern Georgia would experience colder than usual weather from 11 p.m. ET Friday until 9 a.m. Saturday.

A freeze warning was in effect for more than 10 northern Florida counties, with chilly temperatures expected in places including Gainesville, Live Oak, Williston and Newberry, as well as Waycross, Georgia. The coldest weather was limited to inland areas.

Temperatures were expected to dip below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and into the mid-20s overnight, a dramatic plunge from temperatures that were in the 50s and 60s in nearly all of the affected areas earlier on Friday.

"Appropriate action should be taken to ensure tender vegetation and outdoor pets have adequate protection from the cold temperatures," the NWS freeze warning said. "Young children, the elderly and the homeless are especially vulnerable to the cold. Take measures to protect them.

"To prevent water pipes from freezing, especially when temperatures are below 28 degrees for several hours, wrap or drain or allow them to drip slowly. Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold."

An NWS Jacksonville spokesperson told Newsweek by phone on Friday that the cold front caused the area's first freeze warning to come about one week earlier than usual this year.

Low temperatures are expected to steadily rise over the weekend, moving to the 30s on Saturday before heading back into the 50s by Monday.

While freezing temperatures will be experienced in parts of northern Florida on Friday and Saturday, this week's cold snap was not expected to result in snowfall anywhere in the state.

Freeze warnings are issued when "significant, widespread freezing temperatures are expected," according to the NWS.

Despite freezing weather occurring in Florida far less frequently than other parts of the country, cold snaps present a serious threat in the Sunshine State because residents are typically unprepared, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM).

"During the harsh winter of 1989-1990, 26 Floridians died of hypothermia," a page on the FDEM website says. "Because of normally mild temperatures, Florida homes often lack adequate heating and insulation and the Florida outdoor lifestyle leads to danger for those not prepared.

"These severe cold outbreaks occur in Florida at least once a year. When temperatures are forecast to drop near or below freezing, a Freeze Warning will be issued by the National Weather Service."