Florida cold snap delivers falling iguanas, snow flurries and record-breaking lows
Florida farmers raced to protect crops and snow flurries were seen in multiple locations across the state after a cold blast sent temperatures tumbling.
AccuWeather Reporter Anna Azallion has a look at the warmup coming for some in Florida later this week.
An unusually intense cold snap pushed deep into Florida over the weekend, delivering rare snow flurries, freezing weather and record-setting cold across parts of the Sunshine State as Arctic air surged southward behind a powerful winter storm system.
Snowflakes were reported as far south as the Florida Panhandle on Saturday, an extraordinary sight in a region more accustomed to mild winters.
A farmer at Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, Florida looks at the ice on crops on Feb. 1, 2026 after overhead irrigation was applied to protect berry crops from freezing temperatures. (Image credit: Southern Hill Farms)
By early Sunday, flurries were observed at airports in Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Marianna, while residents along the Gulf Coast north of Tampa reported light snow in Hernando and Citrus counties.
While accumulation was minimal, the sightings underscored just how far south the cold air had penetrated.
The chill intensified overnight into Sunday, with temperatures plunging well below historical averages across central and South Florida.
Florida farmers rushed to protect berry, peach and citrus crops from freezing temperatures.
Ice on berry crops at Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, Florida, on Feb. 1, 2026, after overhead irrigation was applied to protect the plants from freezing temperatures. (Image credit: Southern Hill Farms)
Southern Hill Farms in Clermont said staff worked through the night on Saturday and Sunday using overhead irrigation to continuously apply water. As the water freezes, it releases heat, creating a protective layer that helps plants survive.
"This is the dedication, resilience and the reality of what it takes to grow food when nature doesn’t cooperate," Southern Hill Farms said. "We’re incredibly grateful for our farmers who stayed out all night doing everything possible to protect what reveals itself in the months ahead.
In Orlando, lows dropped to 24 degrees, sending theme park guests bundling up as they navigated frigid morning conditions. Visitors captured photos of icicles hanging from fountains, including Universal Orlando’s iconic globe.
Icicles formed on the Universal Orlando globe after temperatures dipped below freezing in Central Florida on Feb. 1, 2026. (Credit: Jared Talbot/ Explore Orlando)
As the cold moved in, Florida’s springs filled with manatees seeking warmer waters. Manatees can’t survive in cold water, so when temperatures drop, they rush inland toward the steady warmth of freshwater springs.
On Monday, Blue Spring State Park in Orange City counted more than 900 manatees. Less than a week earlier, the park reported fewer than 70 manatees in the 72-degree springs.
Farther south, the cold reached historic levels. Miami recorded a low of 35 degrees, breaking a daily record that had stood since 1909. In West Palm Beach, temperatures fell to 30 degrees early Sunday morning, marking the coldest reading in roughly 36 years and setting a new record low for Feb. 1.
The cold snap also produced one of Florida’s most unusual winter phenomena: cold-stunned iguanas. As temperatures dipped into the 30s, the cold-blooded reptiles became immobilized and fell from trees in parts of South Florida, including Miami and West Palm Beach.
(L-R) Blake Wilkins and Andrew Baron, who are Redline Iguana Removal trappers, unload cold-stunned as well as dead green iguanas from the back of a pickup truck after they collected them during a cold spell on February 02, 2026, in Hollywood, Florida. Blake Wilkins, a trapper for Redline Iguana Removal, said in the last two days, they have collected about 2500 iguanas, and he has never seen anything like it in his years of trapping. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
While alarming to witness, wildlife officials stress the iguanas are often not dead and will revive once temperatures rebound.
Green iguanas are an invasive species in Florida. Ahead of the coldest conditions, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission issued an executive order allowing people to remove live, cold-stunned green iguanas from the wild without a permit and bring them directly to five FWC offices.
Cold-stunned green iguanas lay on the ground on February 01, 2026 in Miami Beach, Florida. The cold-blooded creatures fall from trees when temperatures get too low. South Florida reached the mid-30s overnight as an arctic chill moved through the area. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
According to AccuWeather meteorologists, this outbreak ranks among the coldest Florida has experienced in decades. A strong Arctic high pressure system settled over the Southeast, allowing frigid air to spill deep into the peninsula and overwhelm typically warmer coastal and southern locations.
Hard freeze warnings were issued across parts of the state, threatening sensitive vegetation, citrus crops and exposed plumbing. Residents were urged to protect pets, plants and pipes during the coldest overnight hours.
As the Arctic air mass retreats, Monday is expected to be the final day of freezing temperatures. However, daily record lows could continue before a more typical Florida warmup returns later in the week.
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