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An outbreak of cold arctic air is coming, and this short video briefing from the National
Weather Service in Tallahassee will tell you what to expect. This is a high confidence
forecast. This video was recorded on the afternoon of Saturday, January 4th, and should not be
used after 10 AM January 5th. Here are the main headlines. An arctic front
will arrive on Sunday Night. Temperatures behind the front on Monday will be chilly,
and should hold steady or fall through the day. The worst of the cold air will be Monday
Night into Tuesday morning, and again on Tuesday Night into Wednesday morning. Wind chills
in the area by Tuesday morning could be the coldest in at least a decade.
Right now, the cold front is situated well to the northwest of our area.
The front will begin sweeping east along the Gulf coast on Sunday, and should be approaching
our area by Sunday afternoon. By Monday afternoon the cold front should
have cleared our area and colder air will be moving in.
And on Monday Night, the cold front should even clear Miami, with much colder air settling
into the Tallahassee area. Frigid conditions will be affecting the Great Lakes.
Cold wind chills will be a major factor with this arctic cold front. Wind chills below
20 degrees are not observed often in our area, but such values are expected just about everywhere
behind this front. Here is the timing of the sub-20 degree wind chills. They should arrive
in southeast Alabama and adjacent portions of southwest Georgia and the Florida Panhandle
early Monday morning. For the rest of the area, they should arrive on Monday Night.
This includes much of southwest Georgia between 6 PM and 10 PM Monday, and most of the rest
of the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend 10 PM Monday to 1 AM Tuesday. Temperatures and wind
chills should plummet quickly Monday Night. The lowest wind chills across the area on
Monday Night or early Tuesday morning are currently expected to be in the single digits.
Since 2006, the coldest wind chill in Tallahassee was 13 degrees, so this would be the coldest
wind chills in at least a decade. The actual air temperatures on Monday Night
should dip to between 15 and 20 degrees in most areas, with a hard freeze likely just
about everywhere. This will be a long duration freeze, with most locations spending 12-18
hours below freezing, with longer durations northwest.
On Tuesday, the high temperatures should struggle to get out of the 30s in most areas and wind
chills during the day should be in the 20s to low 30s. A high temperature of less than
40 degrees has only been observed twice since 2000 at Tallahassee. Some locations near and
northwest of Dothan and Albany may not get above freezing during the day, which would
set up a freeze event around 40 hours in duration if that happened.
On Tuesday Night, another lengthy hard freeze is likely, except along the immediate coast,
with durations below freezing of around 16 to 18 hours.
With temperatures in the teens, exposed pipes could have some damage. Protected pipes should
be fine. It will also be dangerously cold for outdoor pets and some livestock. There
will likely be some damage from the cold temperatures to crops and plants -- particularly younger
plants. Here are a few things you can do. Cover or
insulate exposed pipes and allow faucets to drip. Bring pets inside and ensure adequate
warmth for livestock. Agricultural interests will likely have to take preventative measures.
Not only will it be quite cold, but many hours below freezing are also likely Monday Night
and Tuesday Night. Wind on Monday Night may make water treatments ineffective. If you
venture outside into the cold, be sure to dress in warm layers and wear a hat. Finally,
it may also be a good idea to do some basic checks on your vehicle this weekend.
Thank you for watching this video presentation. Find us on the web, Twitter, or Facebook.