With unexpectedly cold temperatures and quarantines from the pandemic, Florida is ready for a Christmas like no other in recent memory. And we’re not even talking about iguanas.
The National Weather Service warned this week that South Florida could record the coldest Christmas Day in 21 years. Saturday lows could hit nearly zero degrees Celsius, the agency said.
“Cooler temperatures are expected at Christmas,” the agency said on Twitter. “It is possible that iguanas will fall.”
Being cold-blooded reptiles, arboreal iguanas in South Florida are often paralyzed by the cold, causing them to fall to the ground when the temperature drops, even though they are still alive.
In Jacksonville, the temperature is expected to drop from about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) on Thursday to about 30 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) on Friday, making it one of the five coldest Christmas days on record. registered, the National Weather Service there claimed.
On Christmas Eve, several storms and strong winds approached the north of the state.
Shelters were opened all over the state to house people who would otherwise be exposed to the cold, including several churches planning to hold Christmas. Many of the shelters promised to maintain social distance and masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.