B-r-r-r, Cold Nights Ahead in Northern Florida

Winter is descending on us early this year, with a severe cold front sweeping through yesterday, featuring a strong squall line putting everyone on alert at about 1:10 in the afternoon.  Since then, the forecast lows for the upcoming days and nights have gradually tilted toward colder conditions.  This morning it got down into the low 40's, which wasn't so bad...I wish that's as low as it would go, though.  Tonight here in Gainesville we're going to have a hard freeze, with a predicted low of 24-25 (for my millions of European readers, that's Fahrenheit, not Celsius).  Another hard freeze is due again the following night, and possibly the next as well.  All of this coldness will be dry, though, as it usually is this far south.

I like cold weather, but not past the freezing point.  I imagine that the folks living up north are due for their annual laugh at the expense of us southerners who complain about conditions that they would regard as mild, especially considering the complete absence of snow or ice here.  And a little further up north, where there is precipitation? No doubt, once again the news shows will soon be highlighting the numerous traffic accidents around Atlanta that take place this time of year when drivers unprepared for wet wintertime conditions encounter icy, frozen roads and begin to slip and slide...