With most local schools and city and county offices shutting down Wednesday for dangerous winter conditions, the National Weather Service is advising the Jacksonville area to “hunker down” tonight and be prepared for more.
Inland freezes and dangerous wind chills are expected through the weekend, the Weather Service posted in its afternoon briefing.
A wintry mix to include freezing rain and sleet is in store for after 5 p.m. and expanding across Northeast Florida tonight until about 11 a.m. Wednesday. Snowfall is in play for Southeast Georgia, while Jacksonville is under a freeze warning until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
What is tonight’s forecast? Any snow predicted for Jacksonville?
“Rain, snow, freezing rain and sleet before 4 a.m., then snow showers and freezing rain between 4 and 5 a.m., then a chance of snow showers, freezing rain and sleet after 5 a.m.,” per the Weather Service. “The sleet could be heavy at times. Low around 28. Wind chill values as low as 21. North wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.”
What’s Wednesday’s weather going to be like in Jacksonville?
The Weather Service said there’s a chance of snow showers and sleet before 7 a.m. for Wednesday, then a slight chance of snow showers for the next hour. It’ll start out cloudy and gradually become mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Wind chill values will be as low as 18. As far as precipitation, there’s a 30% chance. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch is possible. Nighttime should have a low of about 30 degrees.
What’s the longer-term outlook for Jacksonville weather?
Here’s what the Weather Service is forecasting:
Thursday — A 20% chance of showers after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. North wind 6 to 8 mph. For the night, mostly cloudy with a low around 26.
Friday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. For the night, mostly clear, with a low around 27.
Saturday — Sunny, with a high near 51. For the night, mostly clear, with a low around 34.
Sunday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. For the night, partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
What schools are closed for the winter weather?
Public schools in Duval, Clay and Nassau announced closures for Wednesday, but St. Johns County plans to operate as normal.
What city offices are closed for the winter weather in Jacksonville?
The Emergency Operations Center is partially activated. All city of Jacksonville offices will be closed Wednesday due to unsafe road conditions in the morning. Essential personnel will report for duty before conditions deteriorate, and non-essential personnel will stay home on administrative leave.
Where can people go for shelfter from the winter weather?
For those looking for a place to warm up during the day, the city of Jacksonville is opening all of its public libraries and city-owned community centers during regular operating hours. For libraries, see this list, and for community centers, see this list.
Jacksonville also will have these “warming centers” open 9 p.m. Tuesday to noon Wednesday for potentially colder areas:
- West Branch Library, 1425 S. Chaffee Road
- Cecil Gym and Fitness Center, 13531 Lake Newman St.
- Legends Center, 5130 Soutel Drive
