This week, those returning to Gainesville will be welcomed with new classes, new teachers and comparatively cooler weather.
The cool weather is the result of an arctic air mass affecting Gainesville and the rest of Florida as far south as Lake Okeechobee.
Temperatures in Gainesville are expected to drop to 21 degrees tonight and to 23 degrees on Wednesday night, said Phil Peterson, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.
This hard freeze is expected to hit Gainesville almost every night through Sunday, Peterson said.
A hard freeze occurs when a temperature falls below 27 degrees Fahrenheit for two or more hours.
Peterson said temperatures for this month are significantly lower than they were last January.
Although there were two hard freezes in the middle of last January, Peterson said there was mostly warm weather in Gainesville.
On Jan. 6, 2009, the high in Gainesville was 80 degrees, and the average monthly temperature was 17 degrees higher than normal, he said.
“What’s different about this air mass is that it’s going to stay in one place for a week, which is very unusual,” Peterson said. “This blocking pattern is happening all throughout the country.”
Lauren McKeague of the Florida Division of Emergency Management advises those experiencing hard freezes to follow the “Five P’s” of cold weather safety: protecting people, protecting plants, protecting pets, protecting exposed pipes and practicing fire safety.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management advises students to drink nonalcoholic fluids and wear multiple layers of loose-fitting, warm clothing.
Students should also try to stay dry and in wind-protected areas.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management also warns against the indoor use of charcoal or other fuel-burning devices, such as grills that produce carbon monoxide.
Peterson said residents should bring all potted plants inside and cover those that are outside with sheets or blankets.
“Plants really need to be covered up if you can’t bring them inside and insulated against the cold because we’re talking a killing freeze here,” he said.
Because the air is extremely dry, Peterson advises that those in wooded areas be careful and exercise extreme caution when burning anything.
For more information, visit www.FloridaDisaster.org.
