Almost 16 years

[EDR1222]

Since a deep freeze has made it into Central Florida. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what this year may bring to the deep south.

I realize there have been some days with subfreezing temperatures during the past 16 years, but Christmas Eve of 1989 was the last time that the area saw widesrpread freezing temperatures in the 20's throughout much of Central Florida and even reaching parts of South Central Florida and the Northern Everglades.

[f5]

1989 is 2nd place to 1899 those kind of freezes are very rare .right now the temps up in Canada are -30 at the most and thats mainly over Hudson bay.1899 and 1989 those outbreaks had a unusually strong siberian connection.the jet stream has have the perfect upside down U shape and i don't see it that deep at this time

[JenyEliza]

A couple of years ago, there was a LES event just off the Atlantic coast of FL near (I believe) Cape Canaveral, or just a bit due north. If that helps any.

[richtrav]

I think on most of the Florida peninsula the ancient freeze of 1835 is still the coldest on record. 1899, 1985, and 1989 are all up there, and the double-freeze of 1894-1895 was the most devastating to the region

[Extremeweatherguy]

you can't forget 1977 when up to 2" of snow fell just west of Orlando and when snow was reported all the way south to Homestead.

[lurkerinthemidst]

In 1977 we lived in Palm Harbor, FL ( west coast) and I was 7 years old. We had about 1" of snow at our house and my parents got me up to see it and play in it before the sun rose.
Then in 1989 (same general area) I was having my son who will be 16 on the 20th. We had snow (a light dusting) on the 24th. It was so cold that people's cars were froze up on the road because they did not prepare them. That was the coldest that I remember it ever being in FL. So many times we wore shorts most of the winter. Now I am in SE TN and am teased with snow on a weekly basis and to no avail I get NOTHING! Only rain. It is cold but no snow.

Hopefully for all those that still have damage from all the hurricanes the winter is not too drastic there this year.

[storms in NC]

The snow flakes in panamla city Fla were the size of baseballs. We left that night to come up here to NC. Raliegh had nothingh and the coast had 2 feet. My granmother had to cook Christmas dinner in the fireplace. My son turn a year the 24th. I had called my brother who at the time lived in Ft Myers Fla to take the northroute. But no he had to go up I95. Well they spent 4 days in Ga. lol. I wish I could have beeen here when it stared but it had already fell when I got here. My kids had alot of fun that year.

[Air Force Met]

1989 is 2nd place to 1899 those kind of freezes are very rare .right now the temps up in Canada are -30 at the most and thats mainly over Hudson bay.1899 and 1989 those outbreaks had a unusually strong siberian connection.the jet stream has have the perfect upside down U shape and i don't see it that deep at this time

Correct. The temps in Canada and Alaska aren't frigid right now...it's been tapped...and the upper air pattern setting up isn't one that is going to tap deep into that Siberian air.

[Scorpion]

The only time I remember it getting truely cold here was January 2003. This year looks to be another warm winter here. Our cold snaps will be highs in the low 60's and lows in the low-mid 40's.

[Extremeweatherguy]

yeah Florida has seemed pretty much spared from the recent U.S. cold snaps. The midwest and NE have seen thier coldest starts to winter in quite awhile, but FL has been mostly spared. When I lived in Orlando, FL (just a year ago), we did not have a freeze the 2 years I was there, but when I lived there from 90-99 and from 01-02, I can remember a good deal of freezing weather. Here in Houston the high was a windy 36 the other day, but central and south Florida was barely touched by that cold snap. May be you guys will get into the action as we head into January...

[EDR1222]

Yeah, I just thought I would throw it out there. There were fairly severe freezes in the central Florida area in 1977, 1983, 1985, and 1989 and then the real bad ones since then seemed to have stayed north of the area, with the exception of a few light freeze events here and there. Not that I am complaining, I like the warm weather, but it is interesting it has been a while. I guess as mentioned earlier, the jet stream has to set up just right. I also remember that during Christmas of 89 there was a big low pressure system that moved off the coast and helped pull down extremely cold NW winds behind the arctic front. The same event that brought the cold air led to some of the biggest waves ever seen on the Florida east coast. There are articles in old surfing magazines about guys surfing in Palm Beach early in the morning racing toward the 60 degree water to protect them from air temperatures in the mid to upper 20's.