Topline
An arctic blast that is plunging temperatures across the eastern U.S. this weekend will bring cold conditions even to sunny Florida, once again prompting concerns about cold-shocked iguanas falling across parts of the state.
In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, biologist Jim Duquesnel holds an iguana he caught in a ... [+]
Key Facts
Local weather forecasters like Matt Devitt of WINK news warned that there’s a risk of “falling iguanas” in Florida this weekend across parts of the Florida peninsula as temperatures fall unusually low overnight.
Orlando-based Spectrum News meteorologist Zach Covey issued unofficial “Iguana Advisories” and “Warnings” across much of southern Florida due to “a sizeable threat of iguanas falling out of trees causing damage or injury.”
Weather forecasters have long noted the phenomenon, caused by drops in temperature, which causes cold-blooded iguanas to slow and tumble from trees.
It typically occurs when areas with sizable iguana populations, normally warm, see temperatures drop below 45 degrees—which is expected in parts of Florida overnight, with freeze warnings and wind chill advisories are in effect throughout large portions of the state.
The iguanas may appear to be dead, but they are not, and once the weather warms up, they’ll come back to their senses.
Still, the reptiles can grow to be large—some over five feet and nearly 20 pounds—raising the possibility of damage to cars and sidewalks or injuries to people when they fall.
Crucial Quote
“We have a pretty sizable iguana population from Sanibel to Cape Coral to Naples,” warned Devitt on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Key Background
It’s not an unheard of phenomenon in Florida. Similar warnings were sounded during last year’s cold snap and in 2020, when the National Weather Service shared photos of fallen iguanas. But the issue just adds to the frustrations that the reptiles bring to the state. Iguanas are an invasive species that are growing in population every year, causing a whole host of problems. Iguanas have, for instance, caused multiple power outages in Lake Worth Beach, because they climb up into electrical systems. Green iguanas “occur throughout much of the southern half of Florida’s Peninsula but are most common near the coast,” according to University of Florida researchers.
Surprising Fact
Temperatures should rebound fast after the brief cold spell. Ft. Myers, Florida, which is expected to drop to 42 overnight with wind chills in the mid-30s, is forecast to have highs in the lower 80s in the latter half of next week.
Tangent
The cold spell is just the latest winter weather phenomenon hitting wide swaths of the country, with the East Coast and Pacific Northwest reeling from winter storms that have caused 50 deaths across the U.S. this week.
Further Reading
