Snow on Thursday?

Snow could fall in Jackson County Thursday, and the cold front now in place is expected to push temperatures below 20 degrees for several nights this week.
Forecasters say Thursday will bring a moist, wintery mix of sleet, rain and possible snow flurries. But most of the snow will likely melt into rain by the time it hits the ground. It won’t be enough to build even the smallest of snowmen, predicts Jackson County Emergency Management Director Rodney Andreasen.
Lows that night should hover around 29 degrees.
That’s relatively high compared to forecasts for nights before and after that. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the lows are expected to be 18 and 24, respectively. Friday and Saturday lows are expected to be 18 and 19.
Andreasen said one of the most dangerous aspects of the cold snap is the possibility of iced-over roads or bridges.
Motorists are urged to use extreme caution when out on the roads, and residents are advised to avoid driving, when possible, if ice does develop.
Jackson County Road and Bridge Superintendent Al Green said he’s bringing in sand supplies Wednesday just in case he has to coat any iced-over bridges on County Road 162; Magnolia, Peacock and Birkshire roads; or on the Panama City cutoff.
He doesn’t expect roads to ice, because of their ground insulation and because traffic will likely keep the moisture fluid, but his department is prepared to coat those, too, if it becomes necessary.
Andreasen said the cold weather is expected to linger through the early or middle part of next week.
He said he can’t remember a significant cold snap this long in Jackson County.
Fruit tree producers have been warily watching the weather since last week. Cherokee Ranch owner Mack Glass and other satsuma producers in his co-operative started watering their trees Saturday to create an ice barrier along the foliage and trunks.
They hope the ice will form a layer of protection against the colder weather to come. Their other fruit trees, like lemons and grapefruit, are also being coated with water. Once the freeze protection method begins, it must continue uninterrupted until the freeze passes.
Glass said he’s hoping the protection won’t cause other problems later on.
“We’re really saturating the soil, which could lead to root rot, as well as root compromise, if we don’t get some dry weather behind it,” Glass said. “That’s what we’re hoping for after this is all over. I think we’ll be all right. We’re trying to be optimistic, even though we’ve never experienced this many subfreezing nights in a row. We knew this was a possibility going in, and in 1985 we had some nights in the single digits.”
The cure for the freeze also carries another risk. The weight of the ice on the trees may destroy some of the smaller limbs, but Glass thinks the trees will survive.
“We’re hoping that at the very least we’ll be able to save the trunks and the scaffolding of the limbs so they’ll bear again in a year or two,” he said.