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Chilly Christmas ahead: Northwest Florida to expect lows in the 20s, wind chills in the single digits

| Kaitie Kiger
Last Christmas, Navarre had a high of 76 and a low of 59 on Christmas Day. The forecast for this Christmas is a high of 42 and a low of 28. So, what’s the deal? Why is it so cold this year? The short explanation – an extreme cold front is heading south from Canada, bringing cold air our way just in time to make it feel like Christmas.
Graphic by Dan Bontrager

Here’s a look at the last few Christmas forecasts for Navarre:

  • Dec. 25, 2021 – high of 76, low of 59
  • Dec. 25, 2020 – high of 50, low of 33
  • Dec. 25, 2019 – high of 71, low of 54
  • Dec. 25, 2018 – high of 64, low of 47

The historic average for Christmas Day in Navarre, Florida, is a high of 63.6 and a low of 44.8. This year, we’re looking at temperatures about 20 degrees lower than normal.

“It’s cold; it will hurt your bones. That’s what my in-laws used to say,” said Joe Maniscalco, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service for Mobile/Pensacola.

An extreme cold front will move through the area Thursday night. When you wake up on Friday morning, it will literally be freezing, about 27 degrees to be exact.

With weekend overnight lows in the 20s and the highs only in the upper 30s, it’s going to be a very chilly several days leading up until Christmas.

“Later Thursday, we are expecting a strong cold front to make passage and following the passage the temperatures will begin to fall pretty dramatically,” Maniscalco said.

Maniscalco called the cold front a “leading edge of artic air” and told Navarre Press it’s coming from Canada and headed our way.

The overnight lows on Christmas Eve will be in the low 20s when Santa makes his big debut. Good thing he’s got a big furry red coat and a warm hat because even tropical Florida might give him chills.

Maniscalco called these extremely cold temps an anomaly for Northwest Florida.

“It is a cold pattern against climatology,” he said. “From the 23rd to the 25th, it’s going to be much below normal on lows and highs. Usually down here we get a cold spell and it lasts a couple days and then we warm up, but not in this case. It’s going to last three or four days. The warmup will begin late Monday or even into Tuesday. Then we’ll be gradually warming up as we move into New Year’s holiday.”

Our Florida houses are not used to the sub-freezing temperatures, so make sure to prepare by using insulation and heat tape to avoid freezing pipes. You can also slightly open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes when temperatures drop to frigid lows will help to prevent freezing.

Disconnect and store any garden hoses to keep outdoor plumbing fixtures from freezing. Shut off the water to your outdoor faucets, drain the lines, and insulate the hose bibs. Keep the outside valve open so that any water still in the pipe can expand without breaking the pipe.

Although our Florida temperatures will drop below 32 degrees, a white Christmas in the Emerald Coast is not expected this year.

“We do not anticipate snow,” Maniscalco said. “As the cold front comes through, it’s going to sweep the moisture out of the area before the cold air arrives, so (it will just be) dry and cold.”

We’re expecting a windy day on Friday with up to 22 mph winds. By Friday night with the wind chill, it will feel like it’s 15 degrees when the sun goes down. So, bundle up and stay inside. We Floridians are not used to this frigid weather.

“In addition to cold temperatures, we have to be prepared for very cold wind chill values,” Maniscalco said. “On Friday morning, we’ll possibly see temperatures ranging from the upper single digits to the lower teens on wind chills. It looks like the coldest morning will be on Christmas Eve morning. We’re looking at single digits for wind chills. And then Christmas day morning, we’re still looking at single digits on wind chills.”

So, cuddle up by the fireplace with some hot cocoa in your hands this Christmas. The warm air will make its return next week after it gets back from Christmas vacation.

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