Parts of South Florida awoke Sunday to record low daily temperatures, the coldest in more than a century, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
At the national weather station near Miami International Airport, a preliminary report showed the temperature at 35 degrees Fahrenheit at 6:53 a.m. That’s a degree lower than the daily record set in 1909 at 36 degrees. Similarly, at Palm Beach International Airport, the temperature recorded by the National Weather Service at 6:53 a.m. was 31 degrees, well below the daily record set in 1909 of 36 degrees.
In Fort Lauderdale, the temperature at the national weather station near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at 6:53 a.m. was a chilly 35 degrees, just slightly above the daily record low of 33 degrees recorded in 1966.
“Overall, this was our coldest snap since 2010,” said Ana Torres-Vazquez, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service in Miami.
A strong cold front crossed South Florida overnight Saturday into Sunday, with gusty northwesterly winds that affected western portions of the metro zones in the tri-county area. Freeze warnings had been issued for much of the area, and a few far inland areas did reach the freezing mark of 32 degrees.
By 11 a.m., temperatures at the weather stations were at 40 degrees — still cold enough for South Florida residents to don winter jackets and photograph frozen iguanas in their yards.
On Sunday, South Floridians were in full winter mode. Along Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, restaurants brought out heaters for outside diners. At the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop, Maria Morales sold heavy winter coats as the morning temperature there hovered around 40 degrees. And, at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, animal caretakers brought heat lamps in to keep the parrots warm and the flamingos buried their heads under their wings.
The forecast shows another near-freezing night ahead, with temperatures dropping to the mid-30s by Monday morning. The wind chill is expected to make it feel like the 20s. The Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management has activated its Cold Weather Shelter Plan, opening overnight shelters in Belle Glade and two in West Palm Beach.
Another cold front is expected next weekend.
Sun Sentinel reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.
