“`html
Historic Cold Snap Grips Eastern US, From Florida Freeze to Great lakes Snowfall
A rare and intense arctic air mass has plunged across the eastern United States, shattering temperature records as far south as Florida and unleashing heavy lake-effect snow across the Great Lakes region. The dramatic weather shift, while brief, has brought hazardous conditions and unusual sights – including “frozen” iguanas – to a wide swath of the country.
Florida experiences Unprecedented Cold
More than two dozen cities throughout Florida experienced record or tied record low temperatures on November 11th, as a frigid air surge extended surprisingly far south. Jacksonville and Savannah, Georgia, recorded a bone-chilling -2°C, marking the coldest early fall morning since 1976. Even Miami narrowly avoided a record low, dipping to within one degree of 9°C.
The unusual cold has had a peculiar impact on South Florida’s wildlife. Iguanas, being cold-blooded reptiles, are particularly vulnerable to the dropping temperatures. Reports emerged Tuesday morning of iguanas becoming immobile, sometimes falling from trees due to muscle control loss. Though, authorities emphasize that the iguanas are not dead, but rather temporarily paralyzed and capable of recovery if temperatures rise quickly enough.
Did you know?– Iguanas slow down when temperatures drop below 50°F (10°C). Severe cold can cause them to become immobile, but they aren’t harmed if warming occurs quickly.
Great Lakes Buried Under Lake-Effect Snow
Further north, the cold air interacting with the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes has triggered significant lake-effect snow. This marks the frist such event of the year,bringing hazardous travel conditions to northeast Ohio,northwest Pennsylvania,and western New York.
The heaviest snowfall has concentrated over the western Great Lakes. Areas more than 80 kilometers south of Chicago saw accumulations of up to 300 mm of snow, while totals exceeding 250 mm blanketed regions from northeastern Illinois to southeastern Wisconsin. Hazardous conditions were reported Monday along Interstate 57 south of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service.
While Chicago itself received between 25 and 75 mm of snow accompanied by strong winds and even thunder, heavier snow bands prevented the city center from reaching previously forecasted record November snow totals exceeding 250 mm. The variability of lake-effect snow, driven by narrow, intense bands, was a key factor in the differing accumulations. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northwest Indiana also experienced over 300 mm of snowfall from Sunday into Monday.
Pro tip:– Lake-effect snow forms when cold air passes over warmer lake water. This creates moisture and instability, leading to intense, localized snowfall.
Snow Reaches Appalachia and the South
The reach of the cold extended beyond the great Lakes, with several inches of snow accumulating in appalachia from West Virginia to the North Carolina-Tennessee border. Knoxville,Tennessee,recorded its earliest cumulative snowfall since 1996 on Monday. Remarkably, snowflakes were even observed as far south as metro Atlanta on Monday and along the North Carolina coast in Wilmington on Tuesday morning.
Rapid Warming on the Horizon
Fortunately, the deep freeze is not expected to last. Temperatures across the central and southern US are forecast to rebound quickly in the latter half of the week as the arctic air weakens and southerly winds return. Highs will be 10 to 25 degrees above average from the Plains to the Midwest on Friday and Saturday.
Some Midwestern cities, having just experienced their first snowflakes, could approach daily record high temperatures on Saturday. Dubuque, Iowa, and Rockford, Illinois, are predicted to reach near 70 degrees Fahrenheit as the weekend arrives. Similarly, much of the South will see a return to milder conditions, with highs around 70 degrees Fahrenheit expected in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday. The Florida peninsula is also poised for a warming trend, with temperatures reaching between
