Florida
Will frozen temps bring any snow to Florida? What to know
As December begins, Florida is expected to continue experiencing freezing temperatures on Sunday and into next week, sparking curiousness over the possibility of snow in the Sunshine State.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a freeze warning for portions of northeast and north-central Florida and will go into effect overnight into Monday morning. The warning comes as a polar cold front is expected to sweep across the state.
The freeze warning extends along the I-10 and I-75 corridors, stretching west of Jacksonville and down to Gainesville. Frost advisories are also in effect on the eastern edges of these areas between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday.
According to NWS, the temperatures amid the freeze warning could dip as low as 30 degrees as the warning is issued when temperatures are forecasted to go below 32 degrees for a long period of time.
While the cold snap might inspire dreams of a winter wonderland, Floridians shouldn’t expect to see snowflakes. Instead, dry air will dominate, pushing in behind the cold fronts.
“Right now, there’s no opportunity for any snow here through the holiday weekend and into the first week of December,” David Reese, a meteorologist with the NWS in Tallahassee, told USA Today. “Really dry air is pushing in behind the fronts. There will be a little moisture as the front moves through.”
Newsweek has reached out to Reese via a direct message on X, formerly Twitter, and the NWS via email for comment.
The western Panhandle and northeast Florida will experience similar conditions—cold, dry, and clear.
“Our little piece of Florida isn’t expecting snow,” Steve Miller, a meteorologist with NWS Mobile, Alabama, said, per USA Today. “It’ll be pretty dry and breezy, with inland freezes possible Saturday and Sunday.”
Chris Livingston/Getty Images
While Florida isn’t exactly a winter wonderland, snow has occasionally dusted the state, delighting residents unaccustomed to the frosty phenomenon.
The first documented snowfall in Florida dates back to 1774, according to the Florida Climate Center. And while snow doesn’t fall every year, it’s not as rare as some might assume.
“Since 1886, there have been more than 80 months in which at least a trace of snow has been reported somewhere in the state,” the Climate Center revealed.
Monday night could be the coldest of the season so far, with temperatures dropping to freeze levels in Duval County and potentially hitting the hard freeze benchmark of 28 degrees in some areas, according to Angie Enyedi, an NWS meteorologist in Jacksonville.
“Could possibly have some locations getting to hard freeze criteria of 28 degrees, but it’ll stay dry and clear,” she said, per USA Today.
The NWS Climate Prediction Center has warned of a potential “hard freeze” affecting the Southeast, including northern parts of Florida. The center said this will likely hit early next week. “Please protect susceptible vegetation, and if you are traveling south, bring your jackets!” the center said in an X post.
A hard freeze warning is issued if the temperature is expected to be below 28 degrees for at least three hours. These occur in rural areas in the interior of south Florida about once every 10 years, and less frequently along coastal metropolitan areas.
NWS meteorologists have previously issued freeze warnings or freeze watches across nine Southern states on Thursday amid a cold front that saw temperatures drop below freezing overnight on Thanksgiving.
Florida
Golf roundup: Austin Smotherman plays ‘boring, simple’ to expand lead in Florida
Austin Smotherman will carry a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches.
Smotherman followed his opening 62 with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That brought him to 11 under, comfortably clear of Taylor Moore, who is in second after his second straight 4-under 67.
Cognizant Classic scoreboard
“Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome,” Smotherman said.
Smotherman, 31, is in fine position for his first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro a decade ago. He has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, including last June.
Afterwards, he credited himself with playing “Austin Smotherman golf.” When asked what that meant, he responded, “as boring and simple as it can be.
“That’s what I want to do out there. I feel like I ball strike it good enough to have that kind of boring golf, a bunch of fairways ideally,” he said.
He suffered three bogeys Friday after a bogey-free opening round, but the key stretch for him after starting on the back nine was between Nos. 17 and 3. He birdied four holes in that stretch, starting with a 54-foot bomb at the par-3 17th hole.
“Anything under par I thought would have been (good) following up a round like yesterday, which was a special one,” he said, “and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at, like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.”
Moore overcame a bogey in each half of his round with three birdies on either nine, more than counterbalancing the rough patches to earn his second straight solid score.
“I think very different 67s,” Moore said when comparing his rounds. “I didn’t hit many fairways yesterday, kind of grinded a lot, had a couple chip-ins, which obviously helps. I thought I struck the ball much better today. Drove it in the fairways on the par-5s, I felt like. Yeah, still had a few up-and- downs, obviously, with the tough windy conditions this afternoon, but overall I thought it was solid.”
Canadian A.J. Ewart had the round of the day, a 64 that powered him to 7 under for the week. He’s tied with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (72), and Joel Dahmen is in fifth at 6 under after a second consecutive 68.
Ewart, who played for nearby Barry University in college, came in with some familiarity.
“We used to come and watch this tournament when I was at school. I think I came up here twice, maybe three times and watched,” Ewart said. “I had never actually played the golf course, but I felt like I knew it just from watching it.”
Irishman Shane Lowry, one of the most recognizable players in the field, is in a large knot for sixth at 5 under after posting a 67. Defending champion Joe Highsmith made the cut on the number at even par.
Notable players who missed the cut included Webb Simpson (1 over), Gary Woodland (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (3 over).
Kim maintains narrow lead in Singapore
Auston Kim maintained a narrow lead over three seasoned competitors with a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Kim carded five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-5 16th hole at Sentosa Golf Club to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of major champions Minjee Lee of Australia (64 on Friday) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and three- time LPGA Tour winner Haeran Ryu of South Korea (68).
Lurking two shots back at 7-under in the no-cut event are Australia’s Hannah Green (66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (69).
Kim, an LPGA Tour member since 2024, has been knocking on the door of her first tour win. The American has eight finishes in the top 10 and was the runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last season.
“I think just sticking to my process. I’m trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day,” Kim, 25, said of her strategy heading into the weekend. “I can put a hundred percent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well.”
Lee soared into contention with an eagle at the par-4 second hole and six birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I think just I holed a few more putts out there,” Lee said of the difference between Friday’s play and her opening-round of 72. “I holed a few long ones and I also holed out for eagle on the second. That always helps the score.”
Jutanugarn had six birdies, including three straight from holes Nos. 5-7, and one bogey.
Ryu collected four birdies in a round free of bogeys, but not free from pain.
“Today, my neck was so bad and I cannot turn it around, it’s so hard, my neck,” Ryu said. “But yeah, golf is not perfect. I just think about it, just hit the fairway and the green. Yeah, that’s good for me. There’s a lot of birdies, and yeah, I’m so happy.”
Angel Yin matched Lee for the low round of the day with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 6-under.
Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand (72) remained a 2-under posting four birdies and four bogeys.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for 33rd at 1-under after a round of 70.
Florida
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