Another blast of very cold air is poised to enter the region tonight through Sunday morning. A hard freeze (temperatures 23F or lower) is expected for portions of the region tonight into Saturday morning and increasingly likely for much of the region Saturday night into Sunday morning. In addition, breezy conditions will compound the cold tonight into Saturday morning, with wind chills falling into the teens across much of the region.
Overview:
A strong cold front will sweep through the region today, bringing an end to the showers this morning and early afternoon. No thunderstorms are expected.
A much colder air mass will move into the region tonight, with sub-freezing low temperatures by Saturday morning, except for portions of the gulf coast. In particular, lows down to around 23 degrees in portions of southwest Georgia and southeast Alabama have prompted a Hard Freeze Warning for tonight into Saturday morning. Meanwhile, winds around 10 to 15 mph will make the air feel colder, leading to apparent temperatures/wind chills down into the teens across southeast Alabama, southwest Georgia, the Florida Panhandle, and all but the southeast Florida Big Bend, where a Wind Chill Advisory is in effect tonight into late Saturday morning. Even in the southeast Florida Big Bend, wind chills will dip into the middle 20s.
Looking ahead to Saturday night into Sunday morning, a Hard Freeze Watch is in effect for much of the region, with the potential for temperatures to plummet into the upper teens to lower 20s. There is some uncertainty regarding how low temperatures in the Florida Big Bend get, but we expect at least middle 20s in this area for lows. Winds will not be as brisk as Friday night into Saturday morning, but still elevated, making for apparent temperatures/wind chills down into the teens again for much of the region.
Please remember to protect people, pets, pipes, and plants from the cold weather. And, don’t forget to check on vulnerable populations, such as newborns, elderly, unhoused, outdoor workers, and those with chronic illnesses.
High temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will only be in the 40s to around 50. Looking ahead, no additional freeze or wind chill headlines are anticipated for Sunday night and Monday morning, as temperatures rapidly warm early next week.
