WEATHER NEWS

When you think of the wind, you may think of air cooling down based on a breeze, leading to a change in temperature.

Winter weather has brought ice to a wide swath of the United States, canceling more than 1,700 flights nationwide and snarling highways.

As crews continue assessing damage in St. Johns County after Hurricane Nicole blew through the Sunshine State, emergency officials are asking visitors and residents to avoid the hard-hit areas of the beach.

Nicole eroded dunes and damaged roads and homes in parts of coastal St. Johns County.

Residents in the Davis Shores neighborhood of St. Augustine have not even recovered from Ian damage. Now, Nicole has set them back even further in their recovery efforts.

Teams of surveyors are working to find out how bad of a hit St. Johns County took during Nicole.

The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair will reopen at 3 p.m. Friday after Tropical Storm Nicole forced the fair to close for two days this week.

Multiple Ken Knight Drive homes along the Ribault River flooded and suffered significant damage as Nicole swept through Florida on Thursday.

Duval County will remain under a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Nicole impacts the city, Mayor Lenny Curry announced joined by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and other city officials in a news conference on Thursday.

As Nicole made way through Northeast Florida Thursday morning, the tropical storm brought heavy rains, strong wind gusts and sustained winds to the Jacksonville Beach area.

St. Johns County officials have closed the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine Thursday morning as Tropical Storm Nicole brings increased wind gusts and high tides.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced Wednesday that he has signed a declaration of a state of emergency in Duval County effective at midnight.

People throughout Florida are tracking Nicole and making preparations.

Those living in St. Augustine and the Davis Shores neighborhood, both of which have experienced catastrophic flooding, are now bracing for potential impacts from Nicole.

Here’s what we know about how Nicole is impacting waste and recycling collection in Northeast Florida.

Nicole is expected to bring heavy wind, storm surge and flooding.

In southern St. Johns County, people were bracing Wednesday for possible flooding along the coast as Nicole headed toward Florida.

The city of St. Augustine said that due to deteriorating weather conditions, solid waste yard debris collections will be suspended, Thursday, Nov. 10. Residents are urged to secure debris and bins to the best of their ability as Nicole approaches and to be prepared for storm conditions.

The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair will now be closed Wednesday due to Tropical Storm Nicole, fair officials announced.

Beachgoers in Destin were in for a sight Tuesday morning along the Emerald Coast.

Florida’s Severe Weather Awareness Week runs from Feb. 7 to Feb. 11, and Tuesday’s focus is rip currents and marine hazards.

Severe Weather Awareness Week runs from Feb. 7 to 11, serving as an opportunity for Floridians to learn about the various weather hazards that frequently impact the state and how families and businesses can prepare for these natural events.

As we head into Mother’s Day weekend (the weather looks awesome, by the way), I want to remind you of the deadliest weather conditions we see in Florida. I’m talking, of course, about rip currents.

Given its location next to the Gulf of Mexico, one would think that the Tampa Bay region would have an extensive history with hurricanes. On the contrary, that's not the case.

There are steps you can take to avoid getting eaten alive by these buzzing pests.

With Tropical Storm Elsa expected to impact Florida, The Weather Authority wants to be your resource.

What happens when too much rain falls too quickly? Here's how to protect your plants -- in advance.

Switching from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles can lower CO2 levels in the atmosphere, providing environmental and health benefits.

With sea turtle nesting season underway, chances are you know to keep an eye out for marked-off nests while you’re walking on the beach.

It is dust season in the Atlantic and a big plume is drifting westward. Some of it is forecast to cover South Florida and the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday or Thursday. Little if any is expected to impact those of us in northeast Florida.

A house committee hearing examined the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events, and the implications for homeland security.

Have you ever looked at your yard after a good rain shower and thought the grass looked greener? I’m here to say your eyes are not playing tricks on you — it is greener.

The biggest mistake you can make when it comes to preparing for a hurricane or hurricane season is not being ready financially.

Pictures tell the story as we have seen only 6 days with light showers all month. The result has been less than 1/2″ of rain for the month. The biggest impact has been on our yards. Before things get too dry and our yards become too damaged, now is the time to start watering.

This garden exercise helps your flowering and budding plants keep and produce more blooms.

With cold weather hitting the Midwest, you might be wondering if it’s actually April. The answer, of course, is yes.

The National Hurricane Center has released its 2020 post-season reanalysis for Tropical Cyclone Gamma, upgrading it to a hurricane.

Get ready for a hotter summer compared to years past.

We’ve covered planting, watering and fertilizing your home garden. You’ve worked hard and might be seeing some blooms, possibly the fruits of your labor. Then BAM! Your prized tomato plant starts to wilt, droop or even die.

Experts at Colorado State University announced their predicted forecast for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season on Thursday, saying they expect to see “above-average activity” this year.

Rainfall this year has been about normal, but it is from mid-April to mid-June that we must closely watch the dryness of both the surface vegetation and soil moisture. Each has an important influence on fire conditions.

What would we do without weather satellites?

Keeping your soil moist can help protect plants from the cold as moist soil has an insulating effect, which radiates heat upward come nightfall. Remember, when watering plants before a cold snap, be sure to do it during the day when temperatures are still somewhat warm. Once the temperatures warm, you can remove the covering to let your plants grow. Much like us, plants can benefit from a warm blanket. A frost blanket will allow you to cover many plants at once.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – April brings the start of Florida’s blueberry season and it should be a good year for fruit picking. North Florida has a short harvest season lasting from April through May, but the chilly winter should make the fruit extra plentiful this year. That means this will be a good season to go pick them yourself at many of the local field growers. Sentinel is the name of the university’s newest blueberry variety. If you miss out on the opportunity to pick blueberries over the next two months, you can always drive north where the harvest season extends into summer.

(NOAA via AP)With named storms coming earlier and more often in warmer waters, the Atlantic hurricane season is going through some changes with meteorologists ditching the Greek alphabet during busy years. The Greek alphabet had only been used twice in 2005 and nine times last year in a record-shattering hurricane season. AdMeanwhile, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is recalculating just what constitutes an average hurricane season. STARTING EARLIERMIT hurricane researcher Kerry Emanuel said “this whole idea of hurricane season should be revisited." So a warming world means the new normal is busy hurricane seasons just like the last 30 years.

It’s time to put those plants in nutrient-rich soil and get ready for some fresh herbs and veggies. Leafy plants are ready to grow. Add to that Brussels sprouts, all the bitter greens and if you like your veggies sweet, beets can go in the soil too. They are great in salads if you want a fresh zing and they add flavor to your favorite dishes. Starting from rooted plants, add a little time-release fertilizer near the roots to ensure plenty of vitamins for the duration of growth.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for St Johns was loaded with hail and gusty winds over 58 mph on August 18, 2020. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hundreds of severe thunderstorm warnings occur every year in the area watched by the National Weather Service office in Jacksonville. The new details will help contrast those severe storms from more destructive storms, which tend to be less common but pack a big punch. In 2008, we saw 398 severe thunderstorm warnings, but two years later it dropped to 163. So far this year, 15 severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued and the summer rainy season has yet to begin.

The second prediction comes because the National Flood Insurance Program is rolling out a new way of pricing flood insurance later this year. But flood insurance has always been far cheaper — at a national average of around $800. Critics have long pointed out that the federal flood insurance program effectively subsidized coastal homes at the expense of taxpayers by holding insurance rates artificially low. “Do we want flood insurance to help people be able to acquire wealth and buy a home? First Street’s analysis found almost 400,000 properties with flood risk that weren’t in a flood zone in Florida, nearly the same amount of homes that were in a flood zone.

What caught my eye this week was what could be a blowout of a winter storm for Colorado. Not for the higher elevations where the ski resorts are located (mainly central and western Colorado) but rather the Foothills from Colorado Springs to Boulder and east through Denver. They will see another minor blast, only four to 12 inches of snow, with a second storm system next week. AdSo there could be places along the Colorado Foothills that see three to four feet of snow on the ground when it’s all said and done. AdIn the case of what is likely in Colorado, barring some major change in the forecast models, there will likely be Blizzard Warnings for large parts of Colorado, Wyoming and even western Nebraska.

Besides taking some of the aches out of gardening, raised beds offer other benefits too:Better nutrients to the roots. Since you don’t walk in raised beds, soil compaction is also reduced. Planting closer than a traditional garden, the plants can shade out much of the weed growth. Pest control is also easier with raised beds. It’s worth mentioning that you will be want to be careful building raised beds.

This is an important piece of information and the first step in preparing your soil for a lush lawn. While nitrogen is taken up by the lawn under cool conditions, early lawn growth is dependent on iron also being readily available. Lawns turn yellow due to a lack of iron, which is slow to absorb in cool soils. Locally, it is recommended to wait until your lawn has completely greened before applying any fertilizer with weed control. If your lawn needs more time under the sun, remember you will not hurt your yard by waiting to fertilize, but you can do damage by applying fertilizing too early.

All of this wet weather might be leading to growth you don’t want, namely fungus and mold. Here are some verified tips you can use to bring these lawn wreckers to heel or get rid of them once and for all. Here’s how to fix it | Now’s the time to prepare your lawn & garden for spring | Should you prune your dead leaves now or wait? Spray affected areas every three days until the mold or fungus is gone. Applying this once a month or every other month can act as a preventive measure to stop new insect or fungal growth.

In the end, enough Florida sunshine balances Jacksonville near the middle of the dreary index. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When you think of dreary weather, some places may come to mind — like the fog-swamped Seattle coastline or the white out from Buffalo’s lake-effect snow machine. Defining dreary weather can be subjective since no official scientific scale exists. AdEven though Miami has more sunshine than Jacksonville, it received a more dreary score due to wetter and heavier rainfall. Tampa just barely gets a better grade over Jacksonville since it averages one fewer wet day but picks up sunnier days.

We’re sure glad NASA’s calculations in 2004 were a little bit off... Back then, their calculations showed that a big asteroid named Apophis could impact Earth in 2029! Now that the corrections have been made, we can use this close-but-not-dangerously-close flyby to learn more about the asteroid and space. Asteroid 99942 Apophis is named for the demon serpent who personified evil and chaos in ancient Egyptian mythology. It’s a near-Earth asteroid measuring more than 1000 feet (over 300 meters) in size that will pass harmlessly close to Earth on April 13, 2029. AdAt its closest approach to Earth, just before 6 p.m. EDT, April 13, 2029, Apophis will be over the Atlantic Ocean.

Here is what I have done or will be doing to help keep water moving. The common theme here is an easy fix: Simply remove the thatch with a rake or by hand, and the same goes for blocked drains and grates. Undulations in your yard will allow water to collect and stand, causing prolonged puddles and eventually mold and fungus. Another simple fix: if the depression is due to a commonly walked path or pets, fill the hole. If you are having soggy-yard water problems, I hope the fix is as easy as clearing some leaves.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The weekend forecast looks lovely... for ducks, anyway. That’s right — another round of wet weather will set up across our area beginning on Friday afternoon and lingering over the weekend. The News4Jax Weather Authority team is watching the forecast models closely, and they may declare this weekend a Weather Authority Alert. Some of these areas could pick up between 2 to 4″ of rainfall, possibly resulting in temporary flooding. AdBetween the clouds and the showers, temperatures will mainly stick to the cool 60s, but areas escaping the bulk of the rain, like our southernmost counties of northeast Florida may see the low 70s.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We’re only around a third of the way into February and we’ve already picked up about two-thirds the normal rainfall we typically see. That makes our monthly total 2.40″ of rain so far, which is only .79″ below our average rainfall total for the whole month, which is 3.19″. Comparatively, February of 2019 was much drier as we only saw 1.83″ of rain that month. If we go through February and March without much rain, our wildfire danger grows quite high. AdLooking ahead to the next round of wet weather, it appears we will continue to stave off spring fire danger with rain expected on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Strong to severe thunderstorms are producing penny-sized hail covering lawns in Baker, Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties right now. Areas are seeing blinding downpours, resulting in reduced visibility and temporary flooding. — NAS Jacksonville (@NASJax_) February 9, 2021Behind the line of strong storms is more moderate to light rain, which will add insult to injury for areas already seeing flooding. We could see another .5-1 inch of rainfall within the back end of this round of showers. We’ll see a small break in the rain before the next round of showers and storms pushes through our area, where we may see similar rainfall rates in the strongest storms, but hail will be less of a possibility.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the Weather Authority Alert continues Saturday, the National Weather continues to watch to severe storms track east northeast across Northeast Florida. A Tornado Watch is in effect for Union, Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties until midnight. For the differences between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning, see the graphic below. Difference between a Tornado Watch and Tornado WarningThe Weather Authority Alert, which runs from 4-9 p.m., was triggered by heavy, disruptive rain and the potential for isolated severe thunderstorms. Those south of the I-10 corridor have an increased chance to see a strong to severe thunderstorm.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you had big plans this weekend, you may need to include an umbrella. Friday’s forecast eases us into a wetter weather pattern with a few rounds of showers, especially in the afternoon and evening hours. It will not rain the entire weekend, but we will have to dodge a few rounds of rain. A cold front will sag through the Southeast on Friday, making for early chances for showers in Southeastern Georgia on Friday. The rain is expect to be done Sunday night, with temperatures dipping down into the chilly 40s.

Preparing your plants and lawn now will not only help the curb appeal but will also help the fight against pests and disease. While the grass is dormant, a rake can help remove some of the thatch. This can help remove thatch while allowing water and nutrients to reach root level. These first steps can help cultivate and maintain a healthy soil environment for rapid trimming decomposition. Between cold snaps and showers or between beers and sun breaks, small steps now will bring big results this spring.

Jacksonville NWS didn't forget to leave out unshaded areas from the freeze warnings. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The plants have taken a hit this winter, but hopefully not if you have paid attention to the freeze warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Freeze warnings are helpful notices so people can take action to protect tender vegetation and keep outdoor animals sheltered from the cold when a freeze is anticipated within 24 hours. Every county in northern Florida and southern Georgia has been under a freeze warning at some point this winter after seven December freezes and three last month. For locations that haven’t dipped below 28°F for several hours, the Weather Service will then issue frost advisories and freeze warnings when appropriate.

Rip currents, sometimes called rip tides or undertows, occur naturally and affect many Florida beaches year-round. Since 1995, rip currents have accounted for more than 300 drownings along Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic beaches. In fact, rip currents kill more people in Florida in an average year than hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning combined. Rip current injuries and fatalities often are under-reported, but in 2019, at least 30 people lost their lives due to rip currents or high surf. Rip currents can travel as fast as 5 mph, or about eight feet per second, faster than an Olympic swimmer.

Meteorologists can forecast the general conditions that cause lightning but no one can predict exactly when or where lightning will strike. Lightning strikes the ground about 25 million times each year and continues to be among the top weather-related killers in the United States. With an average of 1.2 million cloud- to-ground lightning strikes each year, no other state experiences more lightning strikes per square mile than Florida. Contrary to popular belief, lightning can strike the same place twice and rubber shoes or tires don’t protect you from lightning strikes. You can determine how far away a flash of lightning is by counting the number of seconds that pass after observing a lightning bolt.

If you’d be interested in leveling up your weather nerd levels, there’s even more good news: SKYWARN Storm Spotter training has gone virtual. You can train to join the ranks of thousands of other volunteers to provide timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service. Although SKYWARN® spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the focus is reporting on severe local thunderstorms. In an average year, the U.S. sees over 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes. These storm spotters form the nation’s first line of defense against severe weather.

Another freeze/frost event is on the way and if plants are not protected, you could see leaf damage with areas of brown and wilted leaves. Instead, pick up the leaves on the ground and wait until our temperatures begin to warm. But what if your plants aren’t looking their best, what with the dead and brown leaves? But trimming those poor cordylines with wilted leaves and drooping stems now could cause bigger problems as the next cold front moves in. AdJust wait out a couple more weeks of cold fronts before you start pruning and trimming.

At Casa de Loco, that means more time to knock out the honey-do list. During the winter months we have been working inside, but with spring around the corner it’s time to get outside. It’s the last month to plant a second crop of your fall/winter vegetables or to plant cool-weather vegetables that have time to fruit before it gets too hot. If you are looking for some curb appeal or to add a pop of color, think about planting or potting pansies and violas as they look beautiful growing together. I’ll keep you posted with the progress and maybe a picture of our first true, “Casa Garden Ensalada.”

Pollen season for us kicks off with tree pollen, and we’ve seen our cars dusted yellow as early as February some years. First of all, an N95 mask filters out particles that are 0.3 microns and up. Most pine varieties produce pollen particles between 60-85 microns, which would presumably be stopped and filtered out by an N95 mask. Also, you would need to be wearing the N95 mask while you’re outside, and most people do not wear masks outside, especially when alone, like in your backyard. So your cloth face mask could help with pollen, but once again you’d need to be wearing it whenever you are outside.

December 10th- snow in New England areaThis Weekend - Snow from Missouri to MichiganIf you are looking for snow this weekend, Dec 12-13, it’s also a bit beyond what I’d consider a day’s drive. This weekend the snow will stretch from Missouri to MichiganNext Thursday - Snow from Missouri to Michigan (Again!) ), another front sets up to dump plenty of rain, followed by snow from Missouri to Michigan again, very similar places to last weekend’s snow. Snow from Missouri to Michigan again next weekThe Weekend Before Christmas - Some snow in the SouthThe weekend before Christmas could be interesting and could give us our first shot a snow within a day’s drive. We could see snow Dec. 19-20 in North Carolina and Virginia, well within a day’s drive from us.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Spend some time under the stars Sunday to look for a dazzling display of shooting stars. The Geminids meteor shower will peak in one of the most reliable shows of the year. NASA says the best night to see the shower is Dec. 13-14, although fewer may be spotted before and after those dates. Sunday night cloud forecast shows some breaks in NEFLA and southern Georgia. Lie flat on your back, put away your cell phone and look straight up to take in as much as you can of the 2020 Geminids meteor shower.

Bird enthusiasts are getting ready for the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), a 120-year-old tradition in Jacksonville. The goal is to count as many birds as possible on one day. Some areas are on different days allowing local volunteers to participate in more than one count every year. If you’re interested in participating this season, check out this interactive map where you will need to sign up online. This is another way to see how thousands of people across the hemisphere are participating in their Christmas Bird Counts.

The brightest light in the heavens shines on the first night of winter this year just days before Christmas. Both of the solar system’s giant planets will be gone from the night sky by Christmas. This event will be the last time most people alive will ever see Jupiter and Saturn so close to each other. The Bible mentions the Star of Bethlehem only a few times in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew without enough details to determine what actually was in the sky. Some astronomers say the Magi in the Nativity story may have witnessed a comet, supernova or the triple conjunction between Jupiter, Saturn and Venus.

Morales is the lead author on a study extending the area’s hurricane record beyond when many written observations began in the 1850s. Even after weakening slightly, Iota was still the strongest hurricane to hit Nicaragua as a high-end Category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Iota landfall second Category 4 storm behind Eta to hit within 15 miles of each other in NE Nicaragua. (wjxt)Before that Hurricane Laura was the strongest landfalling storm to hit Louisiana since tying the 1856 Last Island hurricane. Once complete this study could help researchers determine whether changes observed in the longer storm record can be attributed to human-induced climate change.

According to a Climate Central study, summer temperatures are spilling over into our fall months. The study looked at the last calendar day when local temperatures reached their average daily summer high. In Jacksonville, the study shows that since 1970 our average summer high temperatures have lasted seven days longer. Number of days Jacksonville's summer heat continues into fall since 1970 (Climate Central)These warmer-than-average temperatures lingering into our cooler months can have a lasting impact on our native plants and animals whose life cycles are scheduled around seasonal changes. These high temperatures lasting longer could also mean water stress and excessive heat that can negatively impact crops.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The rainy season is over! Temperatures don’t always follow the seasonal pattern, but the abrupt end to our rainy season usually does. Timeseries comparing Miami and Jacksonville's daily rainfall (red) and the corresponding accumulated daily rainfall anomaly (blue) with start (OD) and ending (DD) date. However, Miami is wetter with 133 rainy days based on records from the Southeast Regional Climate Center. Researchers say development may be causing the shift in the rain pattern along with heavier rain.

The Drought Vulnerability Index from Climate Central focuses on what states are exposed and sensitive to drought, as well as their ability to adapt. For Florida, that means we’re looking at increasing drought conditions heading into our fire season. Drought Vulnerability Index (Climate Matters)A state with a low vulnerability score can still experience drought conditions, but they likely have a stronger economy and robust adaptation measures making them more resilient than other states. Drought in Florida from 2000-2020 (NIDIS)Looking back, 2017 was an active fire season for those in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia with the West Mims fire. The states with the highest Drought Vulnerability Index include Oklahoma, Iowa and Montana.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed, for the first time, water on the sunlit surface of the moon. This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface and not limited to cold, shadowed places. SOFIA has detected water molecules (H2O) in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the moon’s southern hemisphere. In 2018, SOFIA began detecting water molecules in sunlight through spectral analysis on the moon. Whether the water SOFIA found is easily accessible for use as a resource remains to be determined.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This is the best time of the year for surfing in Northeast Florida. October brings the biggest and most consistent surf just before the water temperatures start cooling off. This swell will be more powerful than other tropical systems due to the hurricane’s hybrid form and slow movement. Gradually warmer ocean temperatures made the winds stronger as it acquired tropical characteristics of a warm core and lower pressures. If you’ll recall, Hurricane Sandy had a similar composition that made the biggest surf in Florida since the 1991 Halloween Perfect Storm swell.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Rain, wind, flooding, heat and tornadoes: Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia saw it all in 2019. As 2019 comes to an end, we’re looking back at the weather events that shaped 2019:In April, a round of severe storms across Southeast Georgia produced a tornado that touched down in Camden County. “We did know there was some severe weather but we thought thunderstorms, heavy rain," Thigpen told News4Jax. To round out the year, a round of severe weather in early December produced an EF1 tornado in Flagler County. In early December, a round of severe weather produced an EF1 tornado.