Florida Shivers as Arctic Front Brings Unexpected Cold Weather

Arctic air is barreling all the way down to Florida, dragging temperatures into the 20s and 30s—cold enough to feel like Christmas, but without the lights or the music.

North and Central Florida are bracing for freeze warnings and watches, with wind chills dipping below 20 degrees in some spots. The whole state’s under a small craft advisory too, with big waves and nasty rip currents hitting both coasts.

So, here’s the drill: cover your plants, bring your pets inside, wrap up those pipes, and don’t even think about going out without a jacket. Tonight’s going to be a shock to the system, even for Floridians who claim to love “sweater weather.”

By Monday morning, Nov. 10, North Florida was already in the 40s, and it's only getting colder—especially by this afternoon in North, Central, and parts of Southwest Florida.

The National Weather Service put a freeze warning in place for North Florida and inland north Central Florida, starting late Monday night through early Tuesday. Lows will hit the upper 20s and low 30s, with wind chills sometimes plunging below 20. The Panhandle gets a freeze watch from 6 p.m. Central until 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Central Florida’s in for lows in the 30s tonight, and wind chills could fall as far as 24 degrees. The coldest spots? Northwest of I-4.

Out at sea, cold fronts aren’t making life any easier. Both sides of the state are dealing with rough or very rough waters and possible gale-force gusts. Small craft advisories blanket Florida’s coasts, along with high surf and rip current warnings.

The Florida Panhandle and Big Bend area face a Red Flag Warning too. The air is dry, the winds are up, and drought lingers. Fires aren’t expected, but if one starts, it’ll spread fast.

The good news: things start to warm up again by the end of the week.

Here’s what’s ahead.

Freeze warnings and watches are popping up everywhere. Just to be clear: a Freeze Warning means the temperature will drop below 32 degrees long enough to kill sensitive crops and plants. If it drops below 28 for a while, most plants are toast. A Freeze Watch signals that significant, widespread freezing temps are likely in the next 24 to 36 hours. These warnings come out at the end of the growing season in fall and again in spring when it begins.

Pensacola’s bracing for its first freeze of the season Monday night into Tuesday. Lows will hit the mid-20s to low 30s, with wind chills in the low to mid-20s. The whole area is under a Freeze Watch. Out on the Gulf, a Small Craft Advisory is up through Monday night, and gusts could reach gale force. Fire weather is dangerous too, thanks to dry conditions and strong winds, so there’s a Red Flag Warning for southeast Mississippi and the western Florida Panhandle.

Here’s what the week looks like for Pensacola:

Monday, Nov. 10: High 52, low 33

Veterans Day, Nov. 11: High 57, low 45

Wednesday, Nov. 12: High 70, low 58

Thursday, Nov. 13: High 74, low 58

Friday, Nov. 14: High 73, low 62

Saturday, Nov. 15: High 74, low 67

Tallahassee is about to see its first freeze too. Except for the beach, almost everyone wakes up to temperatures in the 20s or low 30s Tuesday and Wednesday. A freeze warning covers the whole area, and a hard freeze is possible in the wiregrass. Wind chills tonight could drop into the upper teens and low 20s.

On the water near Tallahassee, a Small Craft Advisory lasts through early Tuesday, and the waters west of Apalachicola could see gale-force gusts.

Florida’s in for a rare taste of winter—so bundle up and keep an eye on the weather.