Deep freeze reaches Fla.: Arctic blast heads south

An arctic blast continues to settle south across the central and eastern U.S., reaching deep into Florida tonight.

Nighttime lows will drop below freezing throughout northern Florida and interior central Florida, with Miami and the rest of southern Florida dropping into the 40s.

As the TemperatureRadar shows, it will be even colder across the Deep South. Friday's early-morning lows will be in the teens as far south as the Carolinas, with Atlanta dropping to 20 degrees. This will be colder than Chicago's forecast low of 24 degrees.

Freeze warnings have been posted across much of northern and central Florida and southern Georgia. Residents are warned to bring sensitive plants inside and to open bathroom and kitchen cabinets to allow warm air to keep exterior wall plumbing from freezing. Turning off and draining exterior hose bibs will help prevent frozen and burst pipes.

Although temperatures will moderate slightly on Friday and Saturday, several rounds of arctic air will dive southward this weekend and early next week, bringing fresh rounds of frigid temperatures from the northern Plains into the South, Southeast and the East Coast. Discover the App about our 14-day forecast for the latest forecast.