The pressure gradient between a cold front across south-central Florida and a strong surface high NE of the region produced very strong onshore flow with wind gusts of 40 to 47 mph through the day along the NE FL Atlantic coast from Mayport to Flagler Palm Coast.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS JAX wrote it up.
The pressure gradient between a cold front across south-central Florida and a strong surface high NE of the region produced very strong onshore flow with wind gusts of 40 to 47 mph through the day along the NE FL Atlantic coast from Mayport to Flagler Palm Coast.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Jacksonville, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 6:07 AM EST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Jacksonville FL
607 AM EST Fri Feb 21 2020
.AVIATION...
[Through 12Z Saturday]
MVFR/IFR cigs will gradually improve through 15-17Z. Strong
northerly winds today will be around 12-15 kts this afternoon
with gusts to 24-34 kts, especially at sites along the coast.
Winds will become more easterly overnight and should begin to
lower a little after sunset.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION [329 AM EST]...
.NEAR TERM [Through Tonight]...
Regional 06Z surface analysis shows a cold front draped across
Central Florida this morning, with strong north winds in its
wake. Local winds this morning are around 15-25 mph, with gusts to
30-40 mph. Isentropic lift has allowed low clouds and light rain
to develop across the region, but these conditions are expected to
improve through the morning hours as the axis of lift and cold front
continue to push further southeast. Gusty conditions on the other
hand will continue into the overnight hours. The dry, cold air
mass moving in will keep highs this afternoon in the low-mid 50s,
but with winds of 20-25 mph and gusts up to 40 mph, it will only
feel like it's in the mid 40s to low 50s. Overnight, it's looking
like southeast Georgia and northeast Florida will see a freeze,
with lows in the upper 20s to low 30s. Further south/east in
north- central Florida and along the immediate Florida coastline,
lows will be in the mid 30s. Thanks to winds lowering overnight
(particularly inland), a wind chill advisory looks unlikely.
.SHORT TERM [Saturday Through Sunday]...
High pressure will build north of the region through the weekend
with northeast winds developing and slowly moderating temps,
although Highs still below normal around 60 degrees on Saturday
under Mostly Sunny skies, then rebounding closer to normal levels
in the 60s/lower 70s on Sunday. Main hazard over the weekend will
be potential for some areas of frost over inland SE GA and inland
North FL along the I-10 corridor as temps fall into the lower to
middle 30s there, with upper 30s into the 40s elsewhere. Milder
temps in the 40s/50s for Sunday Night as sky cover increases and
winds become Southeast overnight, some patchy fog possible but too
early to include in the forecast.
.LONG TERM [Monday Through Friday]...
Monday thru Wednesday...High pressure pushes quickly offshore into
the Atlc and the next slow moving frontal boundary will sink
Southeast into the region with numerous to widespread showers by
Monday Night and continuing through Wednesday with a few periods
of showers and isolated thunderstorms. Temps generally above
normal with Highs into the 70s and Lows in the 50s and with the
slow movement of this feature and several rounds of rainfall, long
range models are suggesting widespread 1"-2" rainfall amounts with
locally higher 3"-4" totals possible.
Thursday...Models in general agreement for much cooler temps with
Highs only in the 50s and a late winter light freeze possible over
inland areas for Thursday Night.
.MARINE...
Strong northerly winds today of 25 to 30 knots with gusts to 40
knots will become more northeasterly overnight. Winds and wind
gusts gradually falling below 34 knots through the early morning
hours on Saturday, but winds will remain around 15 to 20 knots
through Saturday night. Conditions will only briefly fall below
small craft advisory conditions though, with winds from the south
to southwest increasing again on Monday ahead of our next frontal
system.
.FIRE WEATHER...
Humidities expected to fall into the 25 to 30 percent range
Saturday afternoon across inland Southeast Georgia but winds are
expected to fall to around 10 mph so Red Flag headlines are not
expected at this time.
.HYDROLOGY...
Flooding continues along the Altamaha River from near
Charlotteville, GA over to Everett City, GA. No significant
rainfall is forecast for the next several days to aggravate this
flooding, though it will take a while for river levels along the
Altamaha to lower.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
AMG 50 28 56 32 64 / 0 0 0 0 0
SSI 51 35 55 43 61 / 10 0 0 0 0
JAX 52 32 59 41 68 / 10 0 0 0 0
SGJ 53 42 59 48 67 / 40 10 0 0 0
GNV 55 32 62 40 71 / 0 0 0 0 0
OCF 56 35 65 43 73 / 0 0 0 0 0
&&
.JAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...Freeze Watch from late tonight through Saturday morning for
Baker-Bradford-Clay-Eastern Alachua-Gilchrist-Hamilton-
Inland Duval-Inland Nassau-Northern Columbia-Southern
Columbia-Suwannee-Union-Western Alachua.
High Rip Current Risk through Saturday evening for Coastal Duval-
Coastal Flagler-Coastal Nassau-Coastal St. Johns.
Wind Advisory until 4 AM EST Saturday for Coastal Duval-Coastal
Flagler-Coastal Nassau-Coastal St. Johns.
Coastal Flood Advisory until 4 PM EST this afternoon for Coastal
Duval-Coastal Flagler-Coastal Nassau-Coastal St. Johns.
High Surf Advisory until 10 PM EST Saturday for Coastal Duval-
Coastal Flagler-Coastal Nassau-Coastal St. Johns.
GA...Freeze Watch from late tonight through Saturday morning for
Appling-Atkinson-Bacon-Brantley-Clinch-Coffee-Echols-Inland
Camden-Inland Glynn-Jeff Davis-Northeastern Charlton-
Northern Ware-Pierce-Southern Ware-Wayne-Western Charlton.
High Rip Current Risk through Saturday evening for Coastal
Camden-Coastal Glynn.
Wind Advisory until 4 AM EST Saturday for Coastal Camden-Coastal
Glynn.
AM...Gale Warning until 4 AM EST Saturday for Coastal waters from
Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach FL out 20 NM-Coastal
waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM-
Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out
20 NM-Waters from Altamaha Sound GA to Fernandina Beach FL
from 20 to 60 NM-Waters from Fernandina Beach to St.
Augustine FL from 20 to 60 NM-Waters from St. Augustine to
Flagler Beach FL from 20 to 60 NM.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
550 AM EST FRI FEB 21 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0450 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 NNE JACKSONVILLE BEAC 30.29N 81.39W
02/21/2020 M43 MPH AMZ452 FL MESONET
MESONET STATION XJAX JAX BEACH PIER.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
National Weather Service Jacksonville FL
641 AM EST FRI FEB 21 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 SE SAINT AUGUSTINE 29.86N 81.26W
02/21/2020 M45 MPH AMZ454 FL C-MAN STATION
THE C-MAN STATION SAUF1 MEASURED A PEAK GUST TO 45 MPH
/38 KNOTS FROM THE NORTH.
&&
ARS1 coastal flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The public reported sea water approaching the level of A1A about 1 mile SSE of Crescent Beach. Water levels at tide gages along the coast where generally 1.5-2 ft above MHHW with this event reaching the 'Minor Flooding' threshold.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, February 2020
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 871258.