Officials recommend staying off roads tomorrow morning if possible, preparing for power outages

Staff report

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Alachua County Emergency Management is advising that the risks of freezing rain and possibly even very light snow flurries have increased for Alachua County overnight. Impacts to our area are expected to begin around midnight, with the weather getting worse overnight and continuing into mid-morning.

The farther north you are in the county, the more likely you will see more significant impacts. Areas that are more rural/open and overpass roadways are at a higher risk of impacts.

Freezing rain can be a significant hazard because the infrastructure (roads, powerlines, etc.) is not designed to handle ice and other severe winter conditions very well. Staying off roadways during the overnight and early morning hours, if possible, is recommended. Make sure that you have a power outage plan in the event that there are localized power outages due to ice accumulation on powerlines.

High Springs Fire Department offers the following advice for driving on Wednesday morning: “If you MUST travel, please use extreme caution. Pretend you’re taking your grandma to church. There’s a platter of biscuits and two gallons of sweet tea in glass jars in the back seat. She’s wearing a new dress and holding a crock pot full of gravy. See where we’re going with this? Yeah, be VERY careful.”

Protection of people, pets, pipes, plants, and practicing heater safety are vital. Take steps now to make sure that your property is prepared and ready for the overnight cold and potential for freezing rain. Check on your family, friends, and neighbors, especially if any of those people have issues with their heating.

Please do not leave your pets outside during the cold weather event. Dogs and cats should be brought inside during the cold. If you have additional outdoor pets or livestock, please check with your local veterinarian on strategies to keep your animals safe during the cold.

Go to the US National Weather Service Jacksonville Florida website or view the latest weather briefing packet here.

  • In other words, don’t drive like them Duke boys on the way to bust Daisy out of J. D. Hogg’s holding cell.

  • He Libtards, still looking for real evidence (not made up temperature “data”) of Global Warming.

    • They morphed global cooling (1970’s) into global warming (beginning in the ‘90’s) into just generic climate change (last decade). So whatever the government calls it doesn’t matter. The point of climate related emergencies is to instill a constant state of emergency declarations. Rep and Dem governments both foam at the mouth for it

      Blaming the climate just so happens to be the du jour way to proclaim a state of emergency in 2025.

      Governments operate how they please during emergency declaration. And unless you truly believe the world is falling apart due to extreme weather events then you realize that this is a creeping overreach by dear leaders.

      There cannot be a middle ground…you either see ‘climate change’ as an evil tool of the ruling elite or you see climate change as the ultimate destructor of mankind. Either way you’re probably right

      The same idiots clamoring for this and every other weather related emergency declaration also applauded the Covid-19 hoax emergency declaration.

      • “Blaming the climate just so happens to be the du jour way to proclaim a state of emergency in 2025.”

        You’re very right. Blaming terrorism is so 20 years ago. Blaming communism is so 1991. Blaming fascism is so 1940. Blaming the flu is so 2020. The hidden hand will use any reason to slap you right in the face!

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