Did Florida freeze? How low did it go? Will it get colder on Christmas? What to know
Christmas Eve morning in Florida felt like those holiday movies you’ve binged on TV — characters all bundled up against the holiday cold. Snow didn’t fall, but that’s not for lack of the thermometer trying.
Many parts of the state went under the 32-degree freezing mark. But there was no precipitation, so no snow.
So how cold did it get across each region of the state — and can you expect Christmas Day Sunday to stay the course? What about Monday, which is the federal holiday and a day off for many of us?
Here’s a look around Florida:
South Florida
Miami hit a low of 48 around 6 a.m. Saturday — the third coldest day of 2022, so far. Only Jan. 30, when it was 42, and Jan. 29, when it was 46, did we see colder days in South Florida, said meteorologist Will Redman of the National Weather Service in Miami.
Opa-locka notched the coldest wind chill factor — how your skin responds to the cold — at 37 degree, Redman noted.
Areas around Lake Okeechobee were in the low-40s but there were a couple spots in the upper-30s, Redman said.
▪ Christmas Day wind chill forecast looks like low-40s for Miami-Dade through Palm Beach County.
▪ Christmas Day weather forecast: A high of 57 and a low of 52 on Sunday, 30% rain chance. Monday, the federal holiday for Christmas because falls on a Sunday, will begin a warming trend. Look for a high of 69 and low of 62, with a 20% rain chance.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties put their cold weather plans into action to help those experiencing homelessness on the streets find shelter on the holiday weekend.
Florida Keys
The coldest spot Saturday morning was Rock Harbor Substation in Monroe County at 51 degrees, the National Weather Service observed. Key West and Garden Key had the highest temperatures at 62 and 64, respectively. Wind chill? As the hot spot, surely you jest.
▪ Christmas Day weather forecast: Christmas Day could bring rain, a 40% chance, with a high of 60 and low of 55 forecast for the island chain. Monday brings the high to 65 and the low to 62 and a 20% to 30% rain chance as the warming trend creeps into the week with mild temperatures.
Central Florida and Orlando
Central Florida — and Orlando, where it dropped to 30 — was in the low- to mid-30s, Redman said. North of Orlando, in North Central Florida and Ocala, it dipped to the upper-20s.
▪ Christmas Day wind chill forecast: Central Florida will feel mostly around 30, maybe upper-20s.
▪ Christmas Day weather forecast: There’s a freeze warning Christmas Day and a freeze watch for that night. Expect temperatures ranging from 47 to 34. On Monday, temperatures begin climbing to a high of 56 and low of 41, and steadily get warmer into the week. Cloudy, but no rain is in the forecast.
Southwest Florida and Tampa Bay
READ MORE: How cold did it get in Bradenton? What the forecast shows for Christmas weekend, beyond
The Naples coast was 45 but just inland it was 40, Redman said. Sanibel-Captiva dipped to 41.
The Bradenton-Tampa Bay area greeted Christmas Eve just five degrees above freezing, at 37 degrees, Saturday morning. The wind chill made it feel more like 20, according to the National Weather Service in Tampa.
Forecasters say the high temperature in Manatee County will climb to 48 and then take a dive to 35 overnight and early Christmas morning on Sunday.
Duke Energy and Tampa Electric Co. reported more than 3,100 power outages in the Tampa Bay area early Saturday due to temperatures in the 20s and 30s, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
▪ Christmas Day wind chill forecast: The wind chill will be about 28.
▪ Christmas Day weather forecast: Sunday will be partly sunny, with a high near 51 and a low around 38 at night. Monday will find start of a warming trend with a high near 59 and low of 44.
North Florida and Panhandle
“The entirety of the northern part of Florida was basically the low-20s,” Redman said.
Tallahassee was 19 degrees. Jacksonville was 28. Gainesville was 25 and Cedar Key was 27 degrees.
▪ Christmas Day wind chill forecast.: North Florida wind chills will be in the low-20s.
▪ Christmas Day weather forecast: A hard freeze warning Christmas Sunday and freeze watch for Sunday night into Monday if you’re planning to be around Gainesville. Christmas high of 45 and low of 25. Monday high of 50 and low of 30. There will be frost both days but sunny skies all week.
This story was originally published December 24, 2022 at 3:03 PM.
