The coldest temperatures in years arrived across Volusia and Flagler counties by early Thursday morning, leaving a thick layer of white frost across rooftops, lawns and cars after dropping below freezing for several hours.
In Daytona Beach, the mercury dropped to 29 degrees at Daytona International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. The temperature had slipped to 32 degrees by 1 a.m.
A low temperature of 30 degrees was recorded in DeLand, New Smyrna Beach and Bunnell. It was coldest longest in Bunnell, where the temperature had plunged to 32 degrees just after 11 p.m.
Lowest overnight temp: 25 degrees, Northwestern Palm Coast
Forecast high today: 52 degrees
Even colder temperatures are forecast tonight across the Southeast, with freeze warnings in effect as far south as the Northern Everglades.Wind chill advisories are in effect for some of Florida's most tropical cities, including Naples and Palm Beach.
Shelters in Daytona Beach, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, Deltona, DeLand and Bunnell were opened Wednesday to provide a warm refuge from the cold for some of the area's homeless population and others with special needs on Wednesday night. Those same shelters are expected to open Thursday and Friday nights.
Some of the area's homeless population planned to tough it out on their own, sleeping in tents and their cars or trucks.
More freezing temperatures are forecast across the area on Thursday and Friday nights, with an official low of 27 forecast for Thursday night. Temperatures could be even colder in remote, rural areas of the two counties.
Hard freeze warnings, meaning the temperature will be below freezing for more than four hours, are posted across the area.
Low temperatures in the two-county area
Location, temperature, time:
Bunnell 32
Crescent Beach 30
DeLand 30
Daytona Beach 29
Daytona Bch Water Treatement Plant 32
Flagler Beach 30
Flagler County (Southeast) 26
New Smyrna Beach 30
Palm Coast (East & Central) 28
Palm Coast (North) 23
Palm Coast (Northeast) 31
Palm Coast (Northwest) 25
Palm Coast (Central) 28
Palm Coast 28
Palm Coast (Southwest) 30
Marineland 30
Washington Oaks State Garden 34
Other low temperatures across the region:
Location, temperature, time:
Archer 24
Bacon County Airport 25
Baxley Municipal Airport 27
Bell 4 miles west northwest 28
Brunswick Coop 28
Brunswick Golden Isles Airport 25
Cape Canaveral AFS 35
Cecil Field 27
Clermont 32
Craig Municipal Airport 31
Douglas Municipal Airport 28
Fort Pierce WP 35
Gainesville Regional Airport 25
Hazlehurst Airport 29
Hilliard 29
Homerville Airport 23
Jacksonville Intl Airport 29
Jacksonville Nas 29
Jasper 22
Jesup 22
Jesup-Wayne County Airport 21
Kennedy Space Center 33
Keystone Heights Airport 27
Kissimmee 29
Lake City Municipal Airport 27
Leesburg Intl Apt 34
Lisbon 31
Macclenny 25
Mayport Naval Station 31
Melbourne Beach 34
Melbourne Intl Apt 33
Melbourne NWS 33
Mt. Plymouth 28
Nahunta 6 NE 22
Nettles Island 38
Ocala Airport - Jim Taylor 26
Orlando Executive Apt 33
Orlando Intl Apt 31
Orlando Sanford Apt 30
Palatka 27
Palatka Airport 27
Patrick AFB 38
Pridgen 26
Sanford 33
Scottsmoor-Mims 30
St Augustine Airport 28
St Lucie County Intl Apt 33
Stuart 37
Suwannee County Airport 23 F 0735 AM
Titusville 32
Vero Beach 34
Vero Beach Apt 34
Waycross-Ware County Municipal 23
Windermere 32
Woodbine 24
SOURCE: National Weather Service