Cold fronts are the systems that impact the Greater Jacksonville area with a marked change to cooler temperatures and are often accompanied by rain or thunderstorms.
These changes can be a welcoming break from a heatwave.
Cold fronts routinely arrive from the west and typically occur in the fall and winter seasons with occasionally abrupt drops in temperature and humidity.
A backdoor cold front, or backdoor front, is a cold front that moves in from the northeast in our area and they typically arrive in spring, or during a very rare summer surprise.
The front is termed “backdoor” because it arrives opposite from the typical west direction. It heads in off the ocean after sliding down the eastern side of the Appalachian mountains.
Backdoor cold fronts bring more muted weather to our area. Showers and mildly cooler weather can be expected when they arrive in the Jacksonville area. The most noticeable effect is the northeast winds that increase which can result in scattered coastal showers.
For areas farther north where the water is colder the weather can lead to late-season freezes, however, the warm Gulf Stream reduces the effects of a big cool down for states below North Carolina.