LIVE BLOG: Jacksonville area winter storm updates

Stay off Georgia roads

Jekyll Island Bluegrass Festival on

The New Year's Bluegrass Festival in the convention center on Beachview Drive remains on schedule for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The festival begins at noon Thursday.

For more information, click here.

Help track the snow

Naval Station Mayport delays opening

All Naval Station Mayport services to include MWR services, Child and Youth Programs (CYP) and Branch Medical Clinic will commence at 11 a.m on Thursday due to projected weather forecast.

All tenant command personnel are encouraged to contact their chain of command for further reporting requirements tomorrow morning.

Museums closed

Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and the Museum of Science and History will be closed Wednesday due to severe weather.

Museum officials said they will evaluate conditions before deciding when to reopen.

Jacksonville Zoo closes

Court closures in Third Judicial Circuit

Due to inclement weather conditions, the following court closures will be in place Wednesday in the Third Judicial Circuit:

• Columbia County - Closed until noon except for Judge Johnson’s dependency court and Judge Coleman’s small claims pretrials
• Lafayette County - Closed until noon
• Madison County - Closed until 10 a.m
• Suwannee County - Closed all day
• Taylor County - Closed until noon
• Hamilton County - Closed all day

Dixie County will remain open.

Jacksonville International Airport

As of 10:06 a.m., according to Flightaware.com, 26 flights departing Jacksonville International Airport have been canceled.  Another three are delayed.

Normal operations are likely tomorrow, but continue to check flight status with your airline for the most up-to-date information. Also, arrive at the terminal early as lines may be longer than usual, JAX officials said.

To view departures and arrivals at Jacksonville Internal Airport, visit flyjacksonville.com.

Nassau County shelters preparing to open

Shelters are being prepared to open, Nassau County Emergency Management officials said.

As of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, no shelters had be opened.

Public safety officials are monitoring roadways. 

County officials said the Emergency Operations Center will be staffed Tuesday night through Wednesday.

Winter safety tips from Health Department

The Florida Department of Health urges Florida residents to take precautions to stay healthy and safe during extreme cold weather. With wind chills forecasted as low as 25 degrees this week in many areas of the state, it is important to take extra precautions.

"Although they don't occur often, winter storms can present challenging health issues and safety concerns in Florida,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. Celeste Philip. "It's important to take actions ahead of time to guard against cold weather hazards and stay safe during cold snaps.” 

Winter safety tips:

• Stay indoors as much as possible to keep healthy, safe and warm. Make sure to check on friends, family members and neighbors who are especially at risk from cold weather hazards: young children, older adults, and the chronically ill.
• For outside activities, dress in multiple layers of loose-fitting clothing. Don't forget to wear a hat, scarf and mittens, or other winter gear.
• Heat your home safely. If you plan to use a wood stove, fireplace, or space heater, be extremely careful. Make sure each appliance is properly adjusted and you have followed the manufacturer's instructions and local building codes for use.
• Prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning by never using generators, charcoal grills or gas grills indoors and by installing a CO detector to alert you of the presence of the deadly, odorless, colorless gas. Watch this #FLHealthMinute video to learn more on how to prevent CO poisoning. 
• As temperatures dip below freezing, leave your home's water taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
• Eat well-balanced meals to stay warmer. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages—they cause your body to lose heat more rapidly. Instead, drink warm beverages such as hot chocolate or hot tea to help maintain your body temperature. If you have any dietary restrictions, consult your doctor.
• Bring pets out of the cold weather and provide them warm shelter.
• Cold weather can displace wild animals. Stay clear of wild or feral animals including cats, bats or raccoons especially if they look sick or appear injured. They could have rabies and hurt animals can also injure you. Watch this video on rabies prevention to learn more. 

For more information on winter weather safety, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Winter Weather Preparedness page.

Update expected from Atlantic Beach police

Jekyll Island Authority opening late

Due to the predicted weather conditions in the area Wednesday morning, Jekyll Island Authority offices, amenities and operations will not open/start until 11 a.m.  
 
With JIA employees traveling from various surrounding areas, each individual employee must consider their own situation. Employees who feel conditions are not safe for their particular travel should contact their supervisor to make individual arrangements, officials said.

Warning from Jacksonville Beach mayor

Nassau County closures

NAS Jacksonville to open late

Conditions bring street flooding in St. Augustine

Certain areas of the city of St. Augustine have been experiencing and will continue to experience street flooding related to the current king tides combined with strong northeast winds. It is expected that these conditions will continue through Thursday. 

The city continues with the installation of “tide check valves” that will minimize the extent of this flooding. But even in those areas where there valves are installed and working, the combination of high winds and higher than normal tides may cause overtopping of the bulkhead bypassing the valves and resulting in street flooding. 

During these conditions, the city’s Public Works Department reminds the public of several safety tips:

• Do not walk through flood waters as it can be dangerous and a health hazard.
• Do not drive through flooded areas, turn around and find another way. It can be unsafe to drive through flooded areas.
• Driving through flooded waters can create waves, causing additional damage to surrounding landscape and property.
• Be careful around manhole covers, as they can become dislodged by the high tides.

The Public Works Department developed an informational flyer available from the home page story at www.CityStAug.com.

Also, the public is asked to report flooding and clogged storm drains to the Public Works Department at 904-825-1040.

RELATED: School closings for weather

Art Walk activities affected

All outdoor activities planned during First Wednesday Art Walk have been canceled because of the expected bad weather and city of Jacksonville closings.

Many indoor venues may still continue their programming as planned and Downtown Vision will work to update iloveartwalk.com with current and accurate information about the participating venues.

For more information about First Wednesday Art Walk, visit iloveartwalk.com. Contact events manager Alexandra Abreu-Figueroa at alexandra@dtjax.org or 904-634-0303, ext. 222, with inquiries.

Camden County offices closing

After monitoring the latest forecast for the coastal area, county officials said they have decided to close all Camden County offices on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Officials asked Camden County residents to continue to monitor the weather conditions through the National Weather Service. Regular updates will also be posted to the Camden County website and the Facebook pages for Camden County Government and Camden County Emergency Management Agency. 

Click here to sign up for CodeRED to receive emergency notifications.

Columbia County shelter opens

A cold night shelter will be open in Columbia County at the Parkview Baptist Church, 268 NW Lake Jeffrey Road in Lake City.

The shelter opens when temperatures get to 35 degrees or below. The shelter will be open through the night, showers are available and breakfast will be served at 6:30 a.m.

The shelter hours are typically 5:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. the following morning.

Columbia County Emergency Management is monitoring the conditions and urges travelers to use caution on any overpass or bridge.

Government offices will be open Wednesday in Columbia County.

Jacksonville Zoo preps

Jacksonville Zoo officials said they are closely monitoring temperatures and will bring animals inside early if the weather gets too cold. 

Keepers also provide heat lamps for the animals.

The zoo typically keeps newborns, like the recently born twin tiger cubs and giraffes, indoors with their mothers.

Certain animals are allowed to stay outdoors.

For the most part, animals (like monkeys) can decide to go inside or outside based on their comfort level.

St. Johns County beach ramps closed

Georgia health departments closing

Due to anticipated severe winter weather conditions, all health departments and public health facilities in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh counties will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Facilities are expected to reopen at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4.

Georgia health officials apologized for any inconvenience and said updates would be posted to the department's website: gachd.org.