Floridians are being asked to be on the lookout for iguanas hanging out in trees and possibly getting sick as temperatures drop in their state and other parts of the US.
The unusual warning comes as one of the first outbreaks of the Wintry Weopy season begins to grip the eastern two-thirds of the US, from the great lakes of Florida and Texas.
Heavy snow was observed in the Northern States, continuing this evening in the regions surrounding Lake Michigan. A Winter Storm Warning began on Monday, warning the public of wind gusts of up to 30mph combined with 18in of rain, creating a phenomenon known as Thenresnow.
In some parts of the Midwest, more than a foot of snow fell by Monday morning.
Meanwhile, in Florida, residents are warned of the rare danger of Iguanas falling from trees, because the reptiles are paralyzed by the cold. Freezing temperatures are forecast for the first third of the state, as far south as Gainesville.
Florida weather experts are warning residents to take the threat of falling iguanas Seriously. Reptiles start to feel sweet when the temperature drops below 50f and can shut down completely when it is below 40f.
In January 2023, a man engaged in an outdoor session in Miami hit and injured by an Iguana falling from a tree.
The snap will be short but record-breaking, according to meteorologists who say that the explosion of severe Arctic air from Canada, in the unusual south of November, further south in November and east than usual.
“This storm pattern will introduce some of the coldest air seen for early November and that will cause many holes in the Southern Snows,” said Tecuweather Meteorologican, on its website.
“Lawi-Effect Snow Bands can pile up several inches of snow in a short period of time due to large wind variations and warm Arctic lakes.”
In an advisory on Monday, the National Weather Service said that temperatures “will tie or break several records in the southeast until tonight. The NWS also warned that windy winds and dry conditions will raise the fire threat throughout the Central Gulf Coast.
The Arctic Air Mass, described by CNN as “a full scale polar plunge“, is set to affect nearly the entire eastern two-thirds of the US, and is already making travel treacherous in Chicago and other Midwest Metropolitan areas on Monday morning.
“For some of the main metro areas this snow comes earlier than the average. Chicago O’Hare, always records the first inch of snow accumulation on 17 January,” Merill.
Residents of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin are forecast to see the worst weather, while severe weather warnings have been issued in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.
Some of the earliest snow on record was recorded in Asheville, North Carolina; Meanwhile, an early freeze on Monday and Tuesday is expected in many southern states, from Texas and Oklahoma to Alabama and Georgia.
According to Accuweather, “on Tuesday evening, the Lake-Effeath engine will start to give way to the northerly wind and a pocket of milder air that will spread to the east from many plains.