Christmas Eve from 4-8 p.m. is a Weather Authority Alert due to strong and possibly severe storms

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Christmas Eve, from 4-8 p.m. is a Weather Authority Alert because of a line of strong, possibly severe storms that may produce damaging wind gusts as they move quickly across our area.

Christmas Eve begins with fog, which quickly lifts to otherwise mostly cloudy skies. Expect warm temperatures, hitting the upper 70s with building winds. Afternoon winds will top out around 20 mph out of the southwest.

The showers and thunderstorms will move into our inland areas, from Lake City to Waycross around 4 p.m. The line of strong storms will continue to push quickly across our area, making it into our I-95 counties between 5-7 p.m., earliest in Southeastern Georgia, latest in St Johns County.

The primary concern with the storms on Christmas Eve is the potential for damaging wind gusts of 30 mph or more. This could knock down dead or weak trees and limbs and cause minor structural damage. Power outages will be isolated but not impossible. The greatest threat for damaging wind gusts lies within the initial line of storms, the showers that follow will be less intense.

On Christmas Eve, the showers and strong storms at best will be disruptive to your Christmas Eve plans, at worst you could see damaging winds.

Christmas Eve Storms

Good news- the storms will not effect Santa’s rounds, his sleigh encounters far higher winds when crossing the Swiss Alps and most of the rain will be offshore by the time he makes it to us.

The cold front behind the storms will push through and clear our skies out and significantly lower our temperatures, we are waking up around freezing Christmas morning and expecting a widespread freeze Christmas night with temperatures in the upper 20s.

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