ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Parts of Florida experienced their coldest weather in over three years on Friday, prompting both tourists to flock to warmer spots and shelters to open for those in need. Farmers, too, turned to unconventional methods — they sprayed water on their crops to create ice in an effort to shield them from the frigid temperatures.
Tallahassee International Airport recorded an overnight low of 19 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 7.2 degrees Celsius). While this may have made Florida feel more like Green Bay, Wisconsin, it didn’t quite reach the record low of 16 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.9 degrees Celsius) set nearly a century ago, according to meteorologist Mark Uhl from the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.
“It’s cold, but really, this isn’t out of the ordinary for this time of year,” Uhl remarked on Friday.
The unseasonably chilly weather is expected to continue into the weekend, with the National Weather Service predicting a 20% to 30% chance of snow in the Panhandle early Sunday. Less than an inch (3.5 centimeters) of snow is forecast, but travel disruptions aren’t anticipated since the snowfall will likely be brief, and temperatures are expected to rise quickly afterward.
This is a stark contrast to last year when Pensacola received about five inches of snow.
Uhl indicated that the forecast window is limited, suggesting that “the worst-case scenario would be one inch.” However, he added, “as it warms up, all of that melts away.”
In Plant City, known as the winter strawberry capital of the world, farmers took preemptive action by using sprinklers to create protective ice around their strawberry plants and ornamentals as nighttime temperatures fell to 28 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.2 degrees Celsius). This ice helped shield their plants from freezing.
Meanwhile, in Orlando, where theme parks thrive, water parks like Typhoon Lagoon at Walt Disney World were forced to close due to temperatures dropping below freezing. Disney announced via email that water parks would remain closed early next week as the cold weather persists.
The central part of the state was notably cold, with temperatures dropping into the mid-20s Fahrenheit (minus 3.8 degrees Celsius), according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures are expected to rise back to something resembling typical Florida weather on Saturday, only to drop again early next week.
