Present Weather Watches and Warnings.

Cover those veggies and bring in the animals! We have been getting hit with unusually cold weather (bring on global warming!) effecting crops as well as individual gardens and small farmers. Exposed pipes can be effected and burst. Additionally, with cold/dry weather, outside fires can get out of control. If you use space heaters or kerosene indoors be fire aware. Have extinguishes handy, and especially with kerosene heaters you must have windows cracked to avoid a build up of carbon monoxide (which will kill you while you sleep). Kerosene Heater Safety

The alert from: http://www.floridadisaster.org/index.asp

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Freezing Temperatures and Cold Wind Chills Expected Across Much of the State This Morning...Another Freeze and Hard Freeze Possible Again Tonight Into Friday Across North Florida as well as Interior and Western Portions of Central and South Florida...All Floridians Strongly Encouraged to Use the "5 P's" of Cold Weather Safety...

The "5 P's" are: Protecting People, Protecting Plants, Protecting Pets, Protect Exposed Pipes, and Practice Fire Safety.

Updated 7:50 AM EST Thursday

After a very cold morning, with Hard Freeze, Freeze and Wind Chill Warnings in effect until 9am and 10am, strong high pressure will move east over North Florida today and tonight and keep cold and dry conditions across the state. Daytime temperatures will be warmer than Wednesday, but will still be about 10-15 degrees below normal in the upper 40s and low 50s north of I-4 and mid 50s to low 60s south of I-4. North winds of 5-10mph could again make temperatures feel a few degrees colder.

The extremely dry conditions will again elevate the risk of wildfires statewide today. Red Flag Warnings are in effect for the entire Florida mainland due to expected long durations of very low humidity values this afternoon. Humidity values will begin to moderate on Friday as winds begin to shift to the east, but dry air will remain over much of North and Central Florida and Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches are in effect for Friday afternoon. Residents and visitors to Florida are encouraged to be Firewise and practice fire safety during outdoor activities and when using indoor heating.


Sub-freezing temperatures are expected across portions of the state tonight. Unlike this morning, winds are expected to be completely or nearly calm tonight as high pressure centers over the Florida Big Bend and North Florida Peninsula. This will allow temperatures to drop quickly after sunset, with another night of temperatures dipping into the teens across interior locations of North Florida. Freezing conditions could range from 2 hours near the coast to over 14 hours across some North Florida areas. A Hard Freeze Warning is in effect for interior sections of the western Panhandle, all of the eastern Panhandle and Big Bend, Northeast Florida and Nature Coast, with Freeze Watches and Warnings in effect for much of interior East Central Florida, West Central Florida and inland Southwest Florida. With winds turning more to the east tonight along the Florida East Coast, coastal counties along the Space, Treasure and Gold Coasts are forecast to remain above freezing tonight. However, areas of frost will be possible across much of North and Central Florida, as well as western portions of South Florida tonight where lows reach into the mid 30s.