OCALA, Fla. – The Marion County school district is preparing for a dramatic drop in temperatures from a strong Arctic cold front sweeping through the region.
Marion County on Tuesday was under a freeze warning and a cold weather advisory.
Feels-like temperatures were around 26 degrees early Tuesday, and some areas expected to see frost.
[VIDEO BELOW: Julie Broughton’s forecast]
In response to the colder temperatures, Marion County Public Schools will have workers come in early to make sure school buses are working properly and heated for the morning bus routes.
During the cold weather advisory, HVAC units continue to run overnight at schools so the buildings are heated when staff and students arrive on campus.
“First and foremost, we encourage parents to send their kids to school with extra layers of clothing and, of course, with winter jackets if they have them,” MCPS Spokesman Kevin Christian said.
[VIDEO BELOW: Winter outlook for Florida]
More than 2,000 students are expected to take part in a Veterans Day Ceremony on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Ocala-Marion County Veterans Park.
Christian said the event will happen as scheduled, although families were urged to prepare their students for the cold weather.
“We reminded our students and families to wear winter clothing, dress in layers,” Christian said. “We’ve already sent out messaging to our principals and to our teachers to bring some extra blankets and those kinds of things to keep those kids warm.”
Cold, dry air will continue to push down from the north, keeping temperatures much lower than normal for at least a day.
High temperatures are expected to rebound to 70 degrees by Wednesday and climb further to seasonal norms by the weekend.