Arctic Blast To Bring Below Freezing Temps To FL: Forecasters

FLORIDA — A polar vortex will bring an Arctic blast into Florida next week with the frigid temperatures moving as far south as Miami.

The Arctic air will build during the first full week of January and linger into the middle of the month, affecting more than 250 million people in more than 40 states in the Central and Eastern United States, AccuWeather meteorologists said.

Two cold fronts are expected to hit Florida — the first on Friday and Saturday and the second arriving Jan. 8 and ushering in the blast of Arctic air, Newsweek reported.

During these cold fronts, some parts of Florida could see freezing temperatures with North Florida temperatures even dropping below freezing after Jan. 8, reports said. Miami could see temperatures in the 40s or 50s, while central Florida temperatures will range in the low to mid 40s.

The polar vortex is expected to reach Florida on Jan. 11 or 12 dropping temperatures even further.

The Panhandle could even see brief snow flurries, while temperatures could drop below freezing in central parts of the state and around freezing in South Florida, according to reports.

“I don’t want to downplay this,” AccuWeather long-range meteorologist Alex DaSilva told The Palm Beach Post. “I think there is a chance that freezing temperatures could get as far south as Lake Okeechobee. The chance is low, but there is still a risk for that.”

Farmers and growers are especially at risk during this extreme cold snap.

"At this time, the areas that are likely to be most vulnerable for crop-damaging freezes will be in central and northern Florida, southern Louisiana and parts of central Texas," DaSilva said. "We are closely watching South Texas and South Florida for any indication of lower temperatures that could be damaging to agriculture."

Here’s the Tampa Bay area’s extended forecast according to the National Weather Service:

• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Northwest wind 3 to 7 mph.
• Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 46. Calm wind becoming north around 6 mph after midnight.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 66. North northeast wind around 7 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. Light east wind.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 74. East wind 3 to 7 mph.
• Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. South southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. South wind 7 to 14 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.
• Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. West northwest wind around 9 mph.
• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 55. North northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.
• Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 59.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.