Winter Freeze Warnings Issued Across 9 States in Southern US

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter freeze warnings for nine states in the southeastern United States, along with Oregon in the northwest.

In the south, the warnings cover a large area, including parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Further north, NWS winter weather advisories are in place for a strip running from West Virginia to Missouri, along with several patches in the northeast and Great Lakes regions.

The rare late fall southern freeze has led the NWS to advise travelers to avoid unnecessary journeys and prepare for emergencies. Hazardous driving conditions, below average visibility and drifting snow should all be anticipated in the impacted areas.

Winter freeze warnings apply to several counties in eastern Texas, most of northern and central Louisiana extending slightly into Arkansas, much of Mississippi bar the north and southern areas of Alabama. They also apply to some northern counties of Florida—with a freeze watch in place for others—and to southern parts of Georgia and coastal regions in South Carolina extending across the border to a few counties in North Carolina.

For counties in eastern Texas, the warning took effect at midnight and lasts until 9 a.m. local time on Saturday.

The NWS warns those in this area to expect “sub-freezing temperatures as low as 28 to 32.”

It adds: “Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.”

Locals are also urged to “take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.”

Across much of Mississippi, NWS warnings extend from Saturday night through Tuesday morning. The federal agency warns that “temperatures will fall to 25-30. Frost/freeze likely, especially Tuesday morning, with damage to unprotected vegetation.”

In southern Georgia and some northern areas of Florida, freezing temperatures are expected until 8 a.m. EST, with a frost expected over large areas.

However according to Orlando TV network WKMG temperatures for Florida should return to seasonal norms by the end of the first week of December, potentially reaching the upper 70s.

In Oregon the freeze warning covers a smaller coastal area, extending roughly from Reedsport to Port Orford in the south.

The NWS issues freeze warnings when it expects temperatures to fall below 32 degrees for several hours over the next 24-hour period.

Saturday marks the official end of the 2024 hurricane season, which saw 11 hurricanes, well above the average of seven, leading some meteorologists to term it the busiest on record.

In September, Hurricane Helene caused devastation in the southeastern U.S., with Georgia and Florida particularly badly hit. In total more than 200 people died making it the deadliest hurricane to strike the American mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.