Big Bend residents may get to break out some sweaters on Thanksgiving: our area is expected to be receiving some isolated severe weather thanks to an oncoming cold front from the west.
The National Weather Service of Tallahassee shared the news on social media, detailing that the weather will begin Tuesday night into Wednesday morning before the holiday on Nov. 27.
Portions of Southeast Alabama and Southwest Georgia also are expected to get some nighttime showers. And there’s a threat of extreme conditions such as severe wind gusts, tornadoes and hail – though Tallahassee looks to be in the clear, predicted to receive only some thunderstorms.
The news comes amid the state capital being locked in an “exceptional drought,” according to NWS, as well as experiencing bouts of dense fog in the early morning, posing difficulties for incoming flights.
If it feels as if Florida weather is doing its best imitation of a roller coaster, that’s because it is. Above-average temperatures are expected to continue, on top of some record high temps over the past weekend.
Both Tallahassee and Apalachicola either broke or tied record high temps Nov. 22. Tallahassee hit 84 degrees Fahrenheit, tying its 1997 record. Apalachicola hit 80, breaking its record of 79 from 2011.
Tallahassee could see freezing or near-freezing wind chills Thanksgiving, Black Friday
After record highs, the Tallahassee area is poised for the arrival of a cold front. It is expected to move through Wednesday or Wednesday night, bringing with it increased chances of rain and a potential for a few strong thunderstorms, according to NWS.
Freezing to near-freezing wind chills are possible on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday in the late-night and early-morning hours.
Expect daytime highs in the first half of the week to generally be in the upper 70s to low 80s, dropping into the 60s after the cold front moves through.
Overnight lows will initially be in the upper 50s to mid 60s, before dropping into the 30s by the end of the holiday week.
Rain doing little to help ongoing drought
NWS forecasters have said portions of North Florida and Southern Georgia are in the grips of an “exceptional drought,” expected to continue through the rest of fall and into winter.
The Tallahassee area and a swath of south Georgia are the only regions in the entire nation contending with the most severe drought conditions on the scale. The last time the 32309 ZIP code saw rain was Oct. 28 when a scant 0.22 inches was measured.
According to Kelly Godsey, senior service hydrologist with NWS, this is the first time in 14 years that the region has hit exceptional drought level.
As of August, the region was more than 5 inches down from a normal year and it was the 38th driest year to date for Tallahassee going back 131 years, according to drought.gov.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Cold snap to bring rain, low temps to Tallahassee for Thanksgiving
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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