If you’re hoping to see a few snow flurries as a rare winter storm barrels through the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll have to go north and west of Flagler County even as winter storm warning boundaries were extended southward to include all of Duval and Clay counties overnight. Putnam and St. Johns have a winter storm advisory.
Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and inland Flagler have only a cold-weather advisory from midnight tonight until 10 a.m. Wednesday as north winds of 26 to 31 miles per hour, with higher gusts, will spread wind chill values as low as 25 in parts of the region, and 30 along the coast. The storm is expected to produce about an inch of rain in Palm Coast between today and Wednesday, and possibly more rain Thursday, though daytime temperatures will remain in the 50s.
Flagler County’s cold-weather shelter for the unhoused and those with power issues will open tonight at the Rock Transformation center (formerly Church on the Rock) at 2200 North State Street in Bunnell, at 5 p.m., staying open until 8 a.m. Wednesday. The shelter will not be open Thursday night, but will likely open again Friday night.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning affecting millions of residents in eight states from south Texas to coastal North Carolina, with a half dozen counties in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana facing a blizzard warning. Snow accumulations of 2 to 7 inches are possible in those parts of Louisiana and Texas, with certain areas “realistically” getting as much as 10 inches, according to the National Weather Service–what would be a historic snowfall. The Houston Chronicle was reporting between 1 and 2 inches of snow in Houston at daybreak today.
All of Florida’s Panhandle is under a winter storm warning. Tallahassee will see rain, snow and sleet today, then freezing rain and snow overnight, accumulating to up to 2 inches. Conditions will be similar in Jacksonville, but with possible accumulations of ice and snow of less than half an inch. Florida Panhandle school districts are either dismissing students early today or cancelling afterschool activities, and will close Wednesday in anticipation of the storm. Legislative committee meetings planned in Tallahassee this week have been cancelled.
“As of 7 a.m., nothing like that expected for Flagler,” Jonathan Lord, Flagler County’s emergency management director, said this morning. “Northern St. Johns and even parts of Putnam are in the possible 0.01”-0.10” accumulation area.” Flagler schools are operating on a normal schedule today and the rest of the week.
If you’re traveling in areas north and west of Flagler County, ice accumulations this evening through Wednesday morning could impact power lines and utilities, trees, roads and bridges, the National Weather Service cautions: “Icy roads are extremely hazardous and snow could mask ice underneath.”
Declaring a state of emergencies for the Panhandle on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s order said “all modes of hazardous winter weather will be likely, including snow, sleet, and freezing rain.” The order, predicting between 1 to 3 inches of snow, said “ice accumulation from freezing rain is the most impactful winter hazard, and significant impacts to roadways, bridges, trees, and powerlines are possible.” Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie will direct the emergency response and ordered the activation of the Florida National Guard “as needed” to respond.
See the National Weather Service’s full Tuesday morning weather briefing, with maps.
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