Arctic blast could chill Gainesville to coldest conditions since 2003
Oh, the weather outside is about to get frightful.
As an arctic blast the National Weather Service calls “historic and dangerous” chills the rest of the nation today and Tuesday, UF students will experience winter Florida-style.
Temperatures will be in the mid-40s by this afternoon, according to UF’s campus weather forecast. Tonight, lows will hover around 20 degrees.
But the coldest temperatures will be Tuesday morning, WRUF Chief Meteorologist Jeff Huffman wrote in an email.
“WRUF Weather is forecasting a low temperature of 20, but the wind chill (what it will feel like) will be between 8 and 15,” he said. “Tuesday afternoon’s warmest temperature will likely not hit 40.”
Huffman said the jet stream has dipped unusually far to the south, allowing air straight from the Arctic Circle to move deep into the United States.
“This is certainly not unprecedented, but it could be the coldest Gainesville has experienced since 2003,” he said.
However, snow is not a possibility.
Regardless, UF health science senior Hannah Chiou is prepared for the cold. The 21-year-old said she bought several wool sweaters at thrift stores over Winter Break.
“I’m ready to rock them, because it’ll only be cold for a couple of weeks, max,” she said.
Huffman said conditions will be warmer by Wednesday afternoon, when temperatures will be near 60.
A version of this story ran on page 10 on 1/6/2014 under the headline "Arctic blast could chill Gainesville to coldest conditions since 2003 "
