The weather outside is frightful: Coldest Christmas in 33 years

Temperatures fell 40 to 45 degrees Friday as a cold front drags Northeast Florida into a Christmas freeze unlike any since 1989, the National Weather Service reported.

“This [drop] will likely rank in the Top 10 all-time for December,” a Weather Service forecaster said over Twitter.

Lows of 23 are expected Friday night into Saturday in Jacksonville and Clay County, with 22 expected in Fernandina Beach and 27 in St. Augustine.

Wind chill temperatures are expected to plummet to about 10 degrees, an effect of an arctic blast freezing much of the United States.

"This cold weather is extraordinarily dangerous for people who are unsheltered. The windchill is predicted to drop as low as -38 degrees. It is imperative that people get safely indoors.

The Fernandina Beach city government, homeless services providers, and grassroots groups have been coordinating all week to expand shelter options, coordinate transportation, and minimize barriers to shelter for in anticipation of the dangerous weather. They are working directly with people in need to get them inside.

The city will also be operating under Operation White Flag through the weekend, when three partner shelters open their doors past normal capacity to make sure there's a safe place for people for the duration of the extreme temperatures:

- Salvation Army Center of Hope (day only): 911 South Brook St., (502) 671-4904

- St. Vincent de Paul Center (men only): 1034 South Jackson St., (502) 584-2480, ext. 224

- Wayside Christian Mission (pets accepted): 432 East Jefferson St., (502) 742-7019

TARC is also providing free rides to shelter during White Flag.

Finally, we believe that no one should have to sleep on our streets at any point during the year, but it's perhaps most obvious during treacherous winter weather. It is critical that we permanently increase both our emergency shelter options as well as affordable housing here in Louisville so we can avoid these crises before they even begin," reported a post from the Coalition for the Homeless.