Jacksonville woke up to a slap of cold air this morning that most of us weren't exactly ready for. Honestly, if you didn't check the forecast before stepping outside on January 16, 2026, you probably regretted it immediately. It’s one of those mornings where the wind cuts right through a light jacket and makes you wish you’d actually dug that heavy coat out of the back of the closet.
Jacksonville FL News Today: The Record-Breaking Chill
The big story for Jacksonville FL news today is undoubtedly this Arctic front. We are hovering right on the edge of record-breaking territory. The record low at Jacksonville International Airport for this date is 22 degrees, and we were flirting with that number in the early hours. Even the coast didn't escape it, with frost creeping all the way to the beaches and wind chills dipping into the low 20s.
It isn't just about shivering on the way to the car, though. The City of Jacksonville had to activate its Warming Center Contingency Plan. The Legends Center on Soutel Drive stayed open through the night to make sure people had a safe, warm place to go. JTA even stepped up to provide bus transportation for those who needed to get there. It’s a serious reminder that while Florida winters are usually a joke to the rest of the country, this kind of cold is actually dangerous for our unhoused neighbors and anyone without reliable heat.
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A Scare on the Northside Ends Well
In the middle of the freeze, there was a really tense situation on the Northside. A Silver Alert went out for 81-year-old Freddie Rudine Starks. She’d been missing since Thursday evening, last seen in her silver Ford Escape near Dunn Avenue. Given the plunging temperatures and reports that she suffers from memory loss, the community was understandably on edge.
Thankfully, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed early this morning that Ms. Starks has been found safe. It’s the kind of update we all needed to hear after a night of worrying about how anyone could survive that cold if they were lost or stuck in a car.
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Hart Bridge Chaos and Morning Commutes
If you were trying to get downtown early this morning, you probably saw a lot of brake lights. A multi-vehicle crash with injuries shut down all northbound lanes of the Hart Bridge right around 5:10 a.m.
FHP and FDOT had to detour everyone onto Atlantic Boulevard, which turned the morning commute into a bit of a nightmare for a couple of hours. The good news? Everything was cleared and reopened by about 7:00 a.m., so the bridge is back to normal now. But man, that first wave of commuters really took the brunt of it.
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Politics, ICE, and Local Friction
Beyond the weather and traffic, there’s some lingering tension in the city's political sphere. Governor DeSantis has been vocal about recent ICE operations in Jacksonville, basically saying "this is not Minneapolis" and doubling down on enforcement.
This follows a pretty heated incident where a local woman was accused of punching a Florida Highway Patrol trooper during an ICE-related protest. On top of that, a city employee was recently placed on leave for posting what the mayor’s office called an "unauthorized" warning about ICE activity on social media. It's a messy situation that has a lot of people in the local Latin community feeling pretty rattled.
What You Should Do Right Now
Since we are looking at a prolonged stretch of this winter weather, there are a few things you actually need to handle today before the sun goes down and it gets even colder:
- Drip your faucets: It sounds like an old wives' tale, but with temperatures this low, those pipes can and will burst. Just a tiny drip of cold water can prevent the pressure buildup.
- Check on your neighbors: Especially the elderly. If Ms. Starks’ disappearance taught us anything, it’s that a quick check-in can literally save a life when the weather is this brutal.
- Pet safety: If it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them. Bring the dogs inside.
- Space heater safety: JFRD is out here reminding everyone to keep heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn. No extension cords! Plug them directly into the wall.
The forecast says we might see some slightly warmer air by the start of next week, but for today, just stay bundled up and keep an eye on the local traffic maps before you head back out for the evening rush.