Escambia River Cooperative Issues ‘Peak Alert’ For Wednesday Morning
January 16, 2024
Escambia River Electric Cooperative has issued a “Peak Alert” for Wednesday morning.
Peak alerts are not a notice of a power shortage or impending outages, EREC said.
“They are simply a load-management effort used to reduce the demand for electricity and keep members’ cost of power as low as possible. Members should try to do things that conserve energy during a peak alert.”
EREC asked that members:
- Limit the use of large appliances (dishwashers, washer/dryer, etc.).
- Unplug devices that are not in use.
- Turn off any unnecessary lights.
Escambia, Florida, School Closed On Wednesday; Escambia, Alabama, On 2-Hour Delay
January 16, 2024
Escambia County School in Florida will be closed on Wednesday, while Escambia County Public School in Alabama will be on a two-hour delayed schedule. Santa Rosa County Schools will be open.
ESCAMBIA, FLORIDA
All Escambia County Public Schools and offices in Florida will be closed on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, due to inclement weather.
All extra-curricular activities are canceled for the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
“We anticipate normal district operations will resume on Thursday, January 18,” stated Superintendent Keith Leonard. “Of course, we’ll continue to work closely with local emergency operations officials to determine what is safest for our families and staff.”
ESCAMBIA , ALABAMA
Escambia County Schools (AL) will be operating on a two-hour delay Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
- Note the following schedule adjustments:
- Buses will run on a two-hour delay.
- School start times will be pushed back by two hours.
- Students will report to their class period according to their schedule.
- Breakfast will still be available for students upon arrival.
- Dismissal will occur at normal times.
- Extracurricular activities will resume after school, as normal.
Delayed start example: If your child is normally picked up by bus at 6:15 a.m., they can expect to be picked up two hours later at 8:15 a.m.
SANTA ROSA
Santa Rosa County Schools will be open on Wednesday.
No Change To ECUA Schedule Due To MLK Day; Government Offices Closed
January 15, 2024
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the following offices will be closed Monday, January 15, 2024:
Escambia County
- West Florida Public Libraries (all locations)
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- Escambia County Tax Collector
- Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare
- Escambia County Supervisor of Elections
- Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller
- Escambia County Extension Office
- Waste Services Administration
- Escambia County Area Transit Administration
- ECAT will not run service Monday, Jan. 15. Regular service will resume Tuesday, Jan. 16.
- The Perdido Landfill will be open Monday, Jan. 15.
Town of Century
Town of Century offices will be closed.
ECUA
ECUA business offices will be closed on Monday, January 15, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. However, residential and commercial sanitation collections will be unaffected by the holiday and will be carried out as usual. Customers may contact ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480 for more information.
ECUA: Protect Your Pipes From Freezing Temperatures
January 15, 2024
There are steps that will protect household pipes from freezing temperatures forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. External, exposed pipes are naturally the most likely to freeze. Here are tips from ECUA:
- Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas: Pipes located in unheated areas of your house, such as a garage or crawl space under the house or in the attic, are subject to freezing. If you have time to do this before freezing temperatures arrive, wrap these pipes with insulation materials made especially for this purpose. These materials can be found at most hardware stores or home improvement centers.
- Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses: Detach all hoses from faucets and allow them to drain. This prevents the water in the hose or pipe from freezing and bursting the faucet or pipe to which it is connected.
- Run a trickle of water: When forecasts call for sustained and/or severe freezing temperatures, run a thin trickle of water from the faucet furthest from the water line coming to your house. Usually, this is in a room at the back of the house or outside, in the yard. Allowing the water to circulate through your home’s plumbing helps to keep it from freezing. Some consider this a waste of water but the cost of the water used is extremely slight compared to repairing broken pipes and the resulting water damage.
- Remember the backflow preventer: Residents and business owners who have backflow preventers on their properties for water lines, fire lines, irrigation systems, and swimming pools need to protect their backflow preventers from freeze as well. Extended freezes can burst the body of the backflow assembly, rendering it useless. Wrap these pipes with insulation materials, made especially for this purpose. These materials can be found at most hardware stores or home improvement centers. If the device and the water line are not in use at this time (i.e., irrigation system or swimming pool lines), shut off the water supply line and drain the backflow device.
If the device and the water line are not in use at this time (i.e., irrigation system or swimming pool lines), shut off the water supply line and drain the backflow device.
Sunny Sunday; Super Cold Weather Arrives By Tuesday
January 14, 2024
Here is your official NorthEsambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight.
M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. North wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Monday Night: A chance of showers before 3am, then a chance of rain after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. East wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 9am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 40. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 18. North wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 45. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph after midnight.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 41.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.
Back To School Sales Tax Holiday Ends Sunday
January 14, 2024
As students head back to school in January, Florida is holdinh its second, two-week ack-to-School Sales Tax Holiday from Monday, January 1, 2024 through Sunday, January 14, 2024.
Parents will get a break from the state’s sales tax on school-related items, just like each Fall.. No Florida sales tax or local option tax will be collected during this time on the sale of the following items:
- Clothing, footwear, and certain accessories with a sales price of $100 or less per item
- Certain school supplies with a sales price of $50 or less per item
- Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less
- Personal computers, laptops, monitors, and certain computer-related accessories with a sales price of $1,500 or less, when purchased for noncommercial home or personal use
Among the allowed school supplies are the following: calculators, colored pencils, crayons, pens, construction paper, lunch boxes, notebooks, glue, paste, staplers, markers, rulers, and scissors.
Examples of learning aids and jigsaw puzzles include electronic or interactive books, flashcards, memory games, puzzle books, search-and-find books, toys intended to teach reading or math skills, and stacking or nesting blocks or sets.
For detailed information, click or tap here (pdf).
Sunny Weekend; Artic Blast Brings Lows About 15 Degrees Next Week
January 13, 2024
Here is your official NorthEsambia area forecast:
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 56. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
M.L.King Day: A 30 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Northeast wind around 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 15. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 39.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.
Expires Today: Florida Hunting And Fishing Licenses, Park Passes Are 50% Off
January 13, 2024
Florida is offering a 50% discount on annual state park passes and FWC Gold Sportsman hunting and fishing licenses under the “Great Outdoors Initiative” under an executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis. These savings will continue to be available until Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
“Florida has award-winning recreation lands, and I’m proud to see Floridians exploring our great outdoors,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “A lifetime hunting and fishing license or annual park pass at a large discount makes a great Christmas gift for the whole family. Excitement for the great outdoors has been passed on through generations of Floridians and I am proud to continue supporting these family traditions.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will discount the annual resident Gold Sportsman license, five-year Gold Sportsman license and Lifetime Sportsman license by 50%. Also, the Department of Environmental Protection will offer a 50% discount on annual state park passes.
The following FWC Gold Sportsman licenses, which include the saltwater fishing, freshwater fishing, and hunting privileges and all associated permits, are discounted by 50% and will be available at the following rates, plus applicable fees:
- Annual Gold Sportsman – $50.75.
- 5-year Gold Sportsman – $247.75.
- Lifetime Sportsman’s License
- Age 4 or younger – $201.50.
- Ages 5-12 – $351.50.
- Ages 13 and older – $501.50.
Florida State Parks Annual Passes will have a 50% discount and are available tat the following rates:
- Family Annual Pass – $60, plus tax.
- Individual Annual Pass – $30, plus tax.
To buy a pass or to find a park near you, visit: www.floridastateparks.org/.
To find more information on fishing and hunting licenses in Florida, visit: myfwc.com/license/recreational and to purchase a license, visit: License.GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
About 32 Tonight; Teens Next Week
January 12, 2024
Here is your official NorthEsambia area forecast:
This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a steady temperature around 65. West wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 56. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
M.L.King Day: A 30 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Northeast wind around 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 15.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 39.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Friday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.
Severe Storms Possible Friday; Turning Much Colder Next Week
January 11, 2024
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Light southeast wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. High near 70. Windy, with a southeast wind 15 to 25 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 52. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southeast after midnight.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
M.L.King Day: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 55.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 41.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.