As freezing temperatures continue to plague parts of northern Florida, Gainesville residents and University of Florida students are preparing for a sudden drop in temperature over the weekend, leaving Gainesville natives grappling with freezing mornings and altered routines.
According to FPERN meteorologist Irene Sans, the unusual cold snap is being driven by a strong Arctic air mass, bringing the usual warm Florida weather to well below seasonal averages.
Sans described the sudden temperature drop as unusual, saying the city has not experienced this type of weather in close to 10 years.
As the warming and cooling of the atmosphere fluctuates, undulations are formed, creating a more extreme effect on top of the already freezing temperatures, said Sans.
“The extremes are going to be more extreme, and they are going to be more abrupt,” she said.
Cold spells in North Florida are often short-lived, but this system is expected to bring unusually sharp drops in temperature over a short period of time. Rather than having a smooth, steady decrease in temperature, forecasts point to a rapid descent into freezing conditions, resulting in a deep freeze that is uncommon for Gainesville if the freezing temperatures end up lasting that long.
As cold conditions near, students and locals alike are preparing for what will be a harsh winter weekend. What would have been a beautiful Sunshine State weekend, is now slowly turning into one marked by freezing conditions and heightened safety concerns.
Residents of northern Florida will experience uncomfortable temperatures for only a couple of days, but Sans said that other factors caused by the weather can still catch people off guard.
She encouraged area residents to practice protecting “the seven P’s” — People, Pets, Pipes, Plants, Practice fire safety, Power outages, Proof your home — to safely navigate and prepare for the freezing temperatures.
“Water expands and water contracts. As it cools, it expands which causes the pipes to burst. These are some of the elements in which Floridians unaccustomed to freezing temperatures must take into consideration,” said Sans.
Although the extreme cold will only last the weekend, the unusually low temperatures could pose challenges for residents in the northern parts of Florida unaccustomed to prolonged freezing.
Locals unfamiliar with winter weather often unintentionally turn cold-weather habits into dangerous safety concerns. Actions such as cranking up unused heaters or leaving an oven on overnight for additional heat raise safety concerns and often turn dangerous.
With Gainesville aware of the impending cold spell, attention now turns to how the city is responding as well as what resources are available for the public.
According to Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman, residents will have access to cold night shelters throughout the course of the weekend. Important public safety information as well as information regarding the cold night shelter programs is posted on the city’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The City of Gainesville is also working with Alachua County to identify whether a shelter is needed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center. According to the City of Gainesville, $25,000 funded by federal Community Development Block Grant is set aside annually for this city program.
“We want individuals to know that the city has activated the cold night shelter program at St. Francis House and GRACE Marketplace,” the city said. “They are the two providers under that program, and they can find a warm bed as we certainly don’t want anyone to suffer the cold.”
Eastman said the city communicates with Cold Night Shelter when temperatures are expected to drop below 45 degrees. Emergency shelters operate from Nov. 1 through March 31, and providers are also notified ahead of time to have more beds available.
As city officials rehearse for the cold and prepare emergency protocols, students living in Gainesville find themselves with dashed plans and a weekend filled with heaters and warm blankets.
David Marcovitz, an Innovation Academy student at the University of Florida had originally planned to camp outside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center ahead of the UF-Alabama game. However, he decided to cancel those plans due to the freezing overnight temperatures.
“I was thinking about camping out for the Alabama game on Sunday. I checked the weather and was pretty surprised that it would feel like single digits temperature-wise,” Marcovitz said.
The Fort Lauderdale native said he plans to stay indoors and “layer up” in preparation for the weekend. Marcovitz also mentioned that he was surprised freezing temperatures reach North Florida and finds the cold weather annoying, especially when having to walk to class early next week.
His decision to cancel plans and dress appropriately for the upcoming frigid temperatures mirrors how many University of Florida students are adjusting to the sudden drop in temperatures.
With glacial temperatures on their way to North Florida, city officials, students, and residents hope perpetration and awareness will help minimize the dramatic effects of an unusually cold weekend in Gainesville.
From shelters to dorms, the cold snap is forcing the city to think on its feet, slow down, and bundle up as it braces for one of its coldest weekends in recent years.