winter weather in warm places...

[Extremeweatherguy]

Here is a look at winter weather for random warm places. Ever wonder if it has snowed in southern Floirda? Has there ever been a freeze in key west? Has it ever dropped into the teens in Florida? Single digits? Is Brownsville, TX ever cold? How about Daytona Beach? Read on below for the answers:

has it ever snowed in southern Florida? = Yes, it has! In 1899 snow reached as far south as Fort Myers, but the main event was in January 1977 when snowflakes reached Miami and snow even waqs reported on grand bahama island. For an article, click on the following link or search on GOOGLE.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_n8535135

has there ever been a freeze in Key west? = No. The coldest key west has ever "officially" been was 41 degrees in 1981. Unofficially a few readings in the upper 30s have been taken on the island. In the upper keys however, things are 100% different. Marathon has reached 25 degrees during the cold snap of 1989!

has it ever been below 20 in Florida? = Yes...many times. The record low in Orlando is 19, but the suburbs have been as low as 11. In rural areas of Central and northern Florida temps. have reached 0 before. In Tallahassee the temp. fell to a whopping -2 degrees in 1899! Could you imagine how northern tourists would HATE that were it to happen on thier trip. haha it would be funny to see all the northeners walking around in short sleeves and freezing because they didn't pack a coat and expected it to be 85 and sunny. In Miami the record low is in the middle 20s, but right on Miami beach it has only hit near 30 as an all time low.

Is Brownsville, TX ever cold? = YES! In fact, the record low is near 15 downtown, but into the single digits in the suburbs. Accumulating snow has fallen twice since weather records have began (1895 and 2004). In 1895 6" fell in the area.

Is Daytona Beach ever cold?= YES again! Like Brownsville the record low is 15, but outer areas have reached the 8-10 degree range. The worst is when it is a breezy and cold day on the humid coast because it always feels 20 degrees colder.

As you can see, cold CAN happen even in places most would consider warm. So next time you have a trip to sunny Florida or any other southern destination...keep in mind that checking to see if you need a coat is always a good idea. You never know when your beach day may turn into a 10 degree snowday even in the most un-expected places.

If anyone wants to add more fun questions/facts to this thread feel free to do so; they are always interesting to read...

[cctxhurricanewatcher]

Speaking about stuff I've experienced and heard about in South Texas reagarding cold.

I lived in the McAllen area during the infamous 1983 and 1989 freezes and it was in the low teens at my house. I recall the pipes and water mains breaking around my hometown. The citrus industry was nearly wiped out in 1983 and what wasnt' wiped out in 1983 got whacked in 1989. It is nowhere close today to where it was back then and I am afraid when the next historic cold snap hits, it might be the death nail for the industry and farmers might be willing to sell of their land to developers down there (and osme of that land is in high demand with the growth)

Least we not forget the Christmas snow storm of 2004. After this Christmas being in the 70's that really seemed like a dream. Some folks up north kind of blew the event down here as nothing out of the ordinary. But when I watch the nationl news cast and what have you, they tend to make a big deal out of 6 to 12 inch snow falls. That's what we had here.


Other notable events that came before my time, but read and heard some first hand accounts of was the winter of 1889 where Corpus Christi Bay had a sheet of ice on it during the worst of the Arctic attacks. Several other freezes since then have wrecked the landscape since then.

[AL Chili Pepper]

I was living in Huntsville when the all time record low for AL was set in New Market...-27 degrees! I wasn't but 1 year old, but it still counts, right?

[Brent]

After the Blizzard of 1993 it got down to around somewhere between zero and 5 degrees where I was at... I didn't have a thermometer back then so I can't tell you for sure. The lowest I've actually recorded was 9 degrees back on January 24, 2003.

It got down to 1 above in Birmingham on December 23, 1989, so it's possible it might have gotten below zero then.

[JenyEliza]

In January 1985, there was a huge, sustained arctic outbreak that went (as I recall) all the way down into FL. My sister was at FSU at the time, so I know they got in on the action there.

Atlanta measured several -0 temps during that outbreak. I remember it well...it was very very very very very cold.

The building I worked in (and I worked for the owners) had palm trees in the 10 story atrium. They were all killed by the cold air that came in through the doors (at the time we didn't have the revolving doors to serve as an airlock, just doors that opened wide). Shortly after that outbreak and the $500,000 expenditure to remove and replace the palms, we also retrofitted the lobby doors.

[Miss Mary]

-25, -25 and -24 (3 days in a row). Back in either 1977 or 1978. One of those days the high was only -9!

And I worked for a nutty doctor back then, who loved the office cold-cold, as cold as an operating room (he of course was a surgeon). He would flip the A/C on, during the middle of winter. Then of course the units would freeze up. We'd have to call the heating and cooling company, yet again. And get a lecture from the repairman.......we kept saying it wasn't us....it was our boss! We'd be sitting there wearing many layers, under our uniform. Heck, I used to go into the bathroom and run hot water over my hands, just so I could type! LOL

Mary

[Burn1]

Jan. 85' I was a student at UF in Gainesville, Fl. We hit a low of 11 degrees one night.....I will never forget as I had to open a radio station at
4am to get ready for morning drive.....Listen to NWS on the weather cube at the station

[arkess7]

Here is a look at winter weather for random warm places. Ever wonder if it has snowed in southern Floirda? Has there ever been a freeze in key west? Has it ever dropped into the teens in Florida? Single digits? Is Brownsville, TX ever cold? How about Daytona Beach? Read on below for the answers:

has it ever snowed in southern Florida? = Yes, it has! In 1899 snow reached as far south as Fort Myers, but the main event was in January 1977 when snowflakes reached Miami and snow even waqs reported on grand bahama island. For an article, click on the following link or search on GOOGLE.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_n8535135

has there ever been a freeze in Key west? = No. The coldest key west has ever "officially" been was 41 degrees in 1981. Unofficially a few readings in the upper 30s have been taken on the island. In the upper keys however, things are 100% different. Marathon has reached 25 degrees during the cold snap of 1989!

has it ever been below 20 in Florida? = Yes...many times. The record low in Orlando is 19, but the suburbs have been as low as 11. In rural areas of Central and northern Florida temps. have reached 0 before. In Tallahassee the temp. fell to a whopping -2 degrees in 1899! Could you imagine how northern tourists would HATE that were it to happen on thier trip. haha it would be funny to see all the northeners walking around in short sleeves and freezing because they didn't pack a coat and expected it to be 85 and sunny. In Miami the record low is in the middle 20s, but right on Miami beach it has only hit near 30 as an all time low.

Is Brownsville, TX ever cold? = YES! In fact, the record low is near 15 downtown, but into the single digits in the suburbs. Accumulating snow has fallen twice since weather records have began (1895 and 2004). In 1895 6" fell in the area.

Is Daytona Beach ever cold?= YES again! Like Brownsville the record low is 15, but outer areas have reached the 8-10 degree range. The worst is when it is a breezy and cold day on the humid coast because it always feels 20 degrees colder.

As you can see, cold CAN happen even in places most would consider warm. So next time you have a trip to sunny Florida or any other southern destination...keep in mind that checking to see if you need a coat is always a good idea. You never know when your beach day may turn into a 10 degree snowday even in the most un-expected places.

If anyone wants to add more fun questions/facts to this thread feel free to do so; they are always interesting to read...

Very interesting.......thanks!!!!!!

[Scorpion]

Wow, thats crazy. The lowest I have seen here while living here was just below freezing, 31 I think. The wind was blowing pretty good at the time so it made the windchill about 20. But 25 down in Marathon? Must have gotten down into the upper-teens in inland portions of this county before. Now that would be interesting to see.

[Extremeweatherguy]

Wow, thats crazy. The lowest I have seen here while living here was just below freezing, 31 I think. The wind was blowing pretty good at the time so it made the windchill about 20. But 25 down in Marathon? Must have gotten down into the upper-teens in inland portions of this county before. Now that would be interesting to see.

That would be interesting to see. 25 seems so extreme for that area...I am wondering if that fact is right? But according to many sources (such as weather.com), it seems as though it is. As for Jupiter where you live, this is what I could find:

December:

Coldest High = 42
Coldest Low = 24

January:

Coldest High = 45
Coldest Low = 26

February:

Coldest High = 52
Coldest Low = 27

ALSO: I am starting to wonder if that 25 in Marathon is accurate...looking at some NWS data...I think it may have been 35..either way still cold for the keys (and some areas probably still hit 32).

[vbhoutex]

I've seen Pensacola Bay frozen out for over 100 feet before. I believe that was in 1985 or so since I know we were here in 1989 for Christmas and that would have been the time we were there visiting the P's.

[richtrav]

Umm, it has never fallen into the single digits around Brownsville, don't know where they got that from, the official low taken with modern thermometers was 16F in 1989 out at the airport. The center of town was likely a bit warmer. Most places in both that freeze and the freeze of '83 had lows ranging from 16-20F throughout the region, from McAllen over to the coast. The areas to the north and west of McAllen run a little colder and may have dropped a couple of degrees lower. Now I believe in 1899 it did drop to about 8-10F around Rio Grande City, but that's 80 miles WNW of Brownsville.

Brownsville has recorded snow in 1852, 1867, 1881, 1895, and 2004. The last two were the only ones measured by the weather bureau though (previous observations came from the US Army). I believe it was in the 1852 event that snowflakes were reported as far south as Tampico on the western Gulf of Mexico, which is well south of the tropic (take THAT Miami!)

[O Town]

I thought it was for this year so I voted 40 and above. Really it should have been 20-30*. I think it may have dropped below 20 once that I can remeber but don't remeber what that was like or what year. Normally doesn't get any cooler that 30 around here. And definitley nothing under 20. I have no clue what 0 feels like and don't think I would want to know, it can't be good.

[Extremeweatherguy]

I thought it was for this year so I voted 40 and above. Really it should have been 20-30*. I think it may have dropped below 20 once that I can remeber but don't remeber what that was like or what year. Normally doesn't get any cooler that 30 around here. And definitley nothing under 20. I have no clue what 0 feels like and don't think I would want to know, it can't be good.

Looks like you will be getting one of those cold nights soon (Sat. night). The low will probably reach freezing in Orlando with a high only in the low to mid 50s on Saturday. enjoy the brief cold weather!

[O Town]

I thought it was for this year so I voted 40 and above. Really it should have been 20-30*. I think it may have dropped below 20 once that I can remeber but don't remeber what that was like or what year. Normally doesn't get any cooler that 30 around here. And definitley nothing under 20. I have no clue what 0 feels like and don't think I would want to know, it can't be good.

Looks like you will be getting one of those cold nights soon (Sat. night). The low will probably reach freezing in Orlando with a high only in the low to mid 50s on Saturday. enjoy the brief cold weather!

JOY! Usually when they call for freezing it never gets that low. But I guess I will be bringing in all my tropicals and pulling out the blankets for the ones in the ground. That is the one thing I hate about freezing tempatures is taking care of all my plants. Oh yea I guess I am going a little North to Ocala this weekend, so I will definitley be feeling freezing temps. Guess I will bring everything in on Friday, and hope my hubby gets out there to cover things.

[Extremeweatherguy]

I thought it was for this year so I voted 40 and above. Really it should have been 20-30*. I think it may have dropped below 20 once that I can remeber but don't remeber what that was like or what year. Normally doesn't get any cooler that 30 around here. And definitley nothing under 20. I have no clue what 0 feels like and don't think I would want to know, it can't be good.

Looks like you will be getting one of those cold nights soon (Sat. night). The low will probably reach freezing in Orlando with a high only in the low to mid 50s on Saturday. enjoy the brief cold weather!

JOY! Usually when they call for freezing it never gets that low. But I guess I will be bringing in all my tropicals and pulling out the blankets for the ones in the ground. That is the one thing I hate about freezing tempatures is taking care of all my plants. Oh yea I guess I am going a little North to Ocala this weekend, so I will definitley be feeling freezing temps. Guess I will bring everything in on Friday, and hope my hubby gets out there to cover things.

Yes...Ocala should fall into the middle to upper 20s on both Fri. and Sat. night. Also, as for Orlando...the latest forecast is calling for 34 on Fri. and Sat. night with frost, but they may have to lower this to 32. It should be a cold and windy Friday with a high of 54-55 and a partly cloudy and chilly Saturday with a high of 56-57. Enjoy! (Highs even colder in Ocala)

[jasons2k]

In the upper keys however, things are 100% different. Marathon has reached 25 degrees during the cold snap of 1989!

Thanks for the thread, and definitely some interesting information.

A few points. First off, where did you find this? I cannot find a record of a freeze in the Keys at any time in recorded history. The closest I can find is 35 degrees in Tavernier, in the Upper Keys, in 1989 and 1981. Also FYI Marathon is considered the Middle Keys.

haha it would be funny to see all the northeners walking around in short sleeves and freezing because they didn't pack a coat and expected it to be 85 and sunny.

I don't see how watching people get their vacation ruined would be funny at all. If I spent money on a vacation to Miami Beach to get away from the nasty cold, and it was freezing outside I'd be rather PO'd. And someone lauging at me for it would make me even more PO'd.

[Ivanhater]

I've seen Pensacola Bay frozen out for over 100 feet before. I believe that was in 1985 or so since I know we were here in 1989 for Christmas and that would have been the time we were there visiting the P's.

wow, that was a couple of years before my time, but wow

[Extremeweatherguy]

In the upper keys however, things are 100% different. Marathon has reached 25 degrees during the cold snap of 1989!

Thanks for the thread, and definitely some interesting information.

A few points. First off, where did you find this? I cannot find a record of a freeze in the Keys at any time in recorded history. The closest I can find is 35 degrees in Tavernier, in the Upper Keys, in 1989 and 1981. Also FYI Marathon is considered the Middle Keys.

haha it would be funny to see all the northeners walking around in short sleeves and freezing because they didn't pack a coat and expected it to be 85 and sunny.

I don't see how watching people get their vacation ruined would be funny at all. If I spent money on a vacation to Miami Beach to get away from the nasty cold, and it was freezing outside I'd be rather PO'd. And someone lauging at me for it would make me even more PO'd.

Yes...I had found that one temp. record of 25 in Marathon on weather.com. Upon further research I discovered that it was probably inaccurate, and like you, the coldest reading I found elsewhere was 35...but that is still the middle keys. The far upper keys have probably reached 32 before.

[JonathanBelles]

i live in florida and even when its 40 degs it fells like 20 new york degrees