A classic surge of Arctic air plunging south out of Canada this week will stretch all the way to the Everglades and beyond, bringing a deep chill to hundreds of millions of people over the next seven days.
Some folks in Florida could have to dodge falling iguanas as parts of the Sunshine State are expected to dip below freezing by Wednesday morning.
DON’T MISS: Polar vortex delivers classic Canadian cold weather for January
The Prairies got so cold on Friday that weather satellites could see the ground as if it was a high-flying cloud. The same cold front responsible for that brutal chill will continue marching south in the coming days, sending bitterly cold temperatures deep into the United States.
A major winter storm developing in the centre of the U.S. on Saturday night will march east through Monday, dropping up to 30 cm of snow on some communities.
Expect major delays at busy travel hubs such as Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Washington, D.C. This could be Washington’s largest snowstorm in several years.
Winds spiralling around this winter storm will help slingshot that Arctic air even farther south, stretching all the way to Florida by the middle of the week.
MUST SEE: Canada was so cold Friday that it ‘tricked’ weather satellites
Expect low temperatures overnight Tuesday into Wednesday to dive below freezing across northern portions of Florida, including Pensacola, Panama City Beach, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville.
Readings in Orlando will sink into the lower single digits—with colder wind chill values—while morning lows in the single digits are possible as far south as Tampa and even Miami. Overnight temperatures will be colder in Florida than they’ll be in parts of British Columbia by the middle of the week.
It’s possible that we’ll see iguanas falling out of trees on those chilly mornings. Cold-blooded creatures like iguanas rely on their environment to regulate their metabolism. When it gets too cold outside, their bodies slow down in self-preservation—appearing to ‘freeze’ the iguana in place.
Since iguanas sleep in trees, they can lose their grip and fall to the ground in their state of suspended animation. Warmer temperatures and bright sunshine will help them regain their composure as the morning wears on.
RELATED: Canada’s cold air brings Mexico some of Earth’s most violent winds
Canada’s atmospheric export won’t stop in the United States, either. Cold winds will continue blowing south across the Gulf of Mexico, ramming up against the mountains of southern Mexico.
This is likely going to produce a Tehuantepecer wind event—strong winds roaring through a gap in the mountains. Wind gusts of 90+ km/h are likely to blow through this mountain gap into the Pacific Ocean, where it could threaten small vessels in the area.