Florida prepares for rare cold snap with Arctic winds bringing freezing temperatures and hazardous conditions. Stay safe!
* Polar winds brought unusually early and record-breaking cold temperatures to Florida.
* Several cities, including Jacksonville, Orlando, and Pensacola, broke their previous low-temperature records.
* Forecasters expect temperatures to return to normal by the weekend.
(This story was updated with new information.)
Polar winds from the north brought freezing temperatures to Florida weeks before the Sunshine State usually gets them. Forecasters expected Floridians to see temperatures plunging 15-20 degrees colder than normal, with the potential for breaking some records.
Did we? On Monday night, Nov. 10, into Tuesday morning, it got really cold. It wasn't just you.
Numbers are still coming in but Jacksonville saw average temperatures down to 28 degrees overnight, Weather Underground reported, smashing its previous record of 35. St. Augustine broke its record by 5 degrees.
Pensacola broke a 99-year record overnight when it hit 31 degrees overnight with some interior areas getting as low as the upper 20s, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record for Pensacola was 33 degrees.
Tallahassee dropped to 28, but didn't beat its previous record of 27.
Orlando hit 36 degrees, well below the previous record of 39. On the southwest coast, both Fort Myers and Naples saw records broken. Elsewhere in Florida cooler temps tied or hovered above record lows.
It'll be cold again tonight, forecasters said, so take steps to protect your pets, plants and pipes.
Here's a look at low temps around the state.
How cold did it get in Florida Monday night?
According to data from Weather Underground, here are the low temps recorded Monday night and Tuesday morning. Note that there may have been lower temps in isolated areas.
* Pensacola:
* Panama City Beach:
* Tallahassee:
* Jacksonville:
* St. Augustine:
* Daytona Beach:
* Orlando:
* Melbourne:
* Cocoa Beach:
* West Palm Beach:
* Fort Lauderdale:
* Miami:
* Naples:
* Fort Myers:
* Sarasota:
* Gainesville:
Why is it so cold in Florida?
The polar vortex brought cold air from Greenland, the Canadian Arctic, and even the North Pole, according to Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue on X. Frigid blasts come down the Southeastern United States over the last few days, blanketing some areas in snow and frost.
It won't last long. Florida will be back to warm weather by the weekend, forecasters said.
Did it snow in Florida?
Sorry, no snow has been reported as of 8:30 a.m.
It got cold enough, but to get snow, you need moisture. Most of North Florida has recently been under drought conditions and humidity is very low.
Has it ever snowed in Florida?
Oh, yes, as recently as this year, in January.
Referred to as the 2025 Gulf Coast blizzard, the storm brought a record 8.9 inches of snow to Pensacola between Jan. 20-22, smashing the prior record of 3 inches set in February 1895.
Tallahassee recorded 1.9 inches, the second-highest amount on record, according to the National Weather Service.
See photos, videos of January 2025 snow in Florida
Florida weather radar for Nov. 11, 2025
Weather watches and warnings issued in Florida
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Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY