FLORIDA HISTORIC COLD WEATHER ARCHIVE


CLIMATE AVERAGES


Tallahassee Winter Normals

All time state coldest temperature on record -is 2 deg F on 2/13/1899 in Tallahassee. Other unofficial readings as low as -6 deg F occurred near Caryville on 1/21/85. The official heaviest 24 hour measured snowfall is 4.0" in Milton and several other locations. However 5-8" fell north of Pensacola in February 1973 and again in March 1993. 5" of snow was measured north of Jacksonville on January 10, 1800. 

     

  • Month   Mean     Mean     Mean     Month 

  •         Min      Max      Month   Precip 

  • Jan     38.4     62.8     50.6     4.77   

  • Feb     40.3     66.1     53.2     5.52 

  • Mar     46.9     73.4     60.2     6.21 

  • Oct     55.7     81.2     68.4     2.92 

  • Nov     46.3     72.8     59.6     3.87 

  • Dec     40.5     65.8     53.1     5.03
Coldest early morning minimum temperatures of the 20th century on 1/21/85

Near Caryville -6 (That's below zero F)
Chipley 2
Defuniak Springs 3
Jasper, Monticello, Quincy 4
Madison, Pensacola 5
Live Oak, Tallahassee 6
Jacksonville, Lake City, Perry 7
Crestview 8
Apalachicola 9


Coldest maximum temperatures of the 20th century on 12/24/89.

These readings were taken at 12:00 am. By early afternoon temperatures dropped into the mid and upper teen's with snowflakes flying. A daytime temperature in the teen's had not been seen across the north since February 1899.

Jasper 23
Defuniak Springs 24
Crestview, Pensacola 25
Chipley 26
Glen St. Mary 27
Quincy 28
Tallahassee 29
Hastings, Jacksonville 30
Monticello 31
Apalachicola, Live Oak 32

Orlando Winter Normals

All time coldest temperature on record is 18 deg F 
     

  • Month   Mean     Mean     Mean       Month 
  •         Min      Max     Month Precip 
  • Jan     47.3     70.2     58.7       2.32 
  • Feb     50.6     73.5     62.0       2.38 
  • Mar     55.8     78.7     67.3       3.36 
  • Oct     65.4     84.8     75.1       2.00 
  • Nov     58.5     79.0     68.8       2.56 
  • Dec     51.7     72.9     62.3       2.18


Coldest maximum temperatures of the 20th century 12/24/89

These readings were taken at 12:00 am. By early afternoon temperatures dropped into the mid and upper 20's with snowflakes flying. A daytime temperature in the 20's had not been seen on the central peninsula since February 1899.

Bushnell, Weeki Wachee 32
Dade City, Daytona Beach 33
Inverness 34
Brooksville, Deland, Lisbon 35
Ocala, Orlando 36
Plant City 37
Tampa 38
Lake Alfred 39

The following hourly readings were taken by me in rural Sumter County, Fl. 10 miles west of Bushnell during Christmas 1989. The temperature stayed below 32 deg. for 58 consecutive hours on December 23-25th 1989. The month mean minimum temperature averaged 32.8 deg, 14.6 deg. below normal, with 17 mornings below 32 deg. 

    

  • 23rd 
  • 12a 28 zr 1p 28 s 
  •  1a 28 zr 2p 27 s 
  •  2a 28 zr 3p 26 s 
  •  3a 28 zr 4p 26 s 
  •  4a 28 zr 5p 25 s 
  •  5a 28 zr 6p 24 s 
  •  6a 28 zr 7p 24 s 
  •  7a 28 zr 8p 24 s 
  •  8a 28 zr 9p 23 s 
  •  9a 28 zr 10p 22 s 
  • 10a 26 zr/ip 11p 21 s 
  • 11a 28 s 

  • 12p 28 s

  • 

  • 

  • 24th

  • 12a 21 s      1p 30

  •  1a 20 s      2p 32

  •  2a 19        3p 32

  •  3a 18        4p 32

  •  4a 17        5p 32

  •  5a 16        6p 28

  •  6a 16        7p 24

  •  7a 16        8p 23

  •  8a 17        9p 21

  •  9a 19       10p 19

  • 10a 22       11p 17

  • 11a 25

  • 12p 27

  • 

  • 

  • 25th

  • 12a 17      

  •  1a 17      

  •  2a 16        

  •  3a 16        

  •  4a 17        

  •  5a 18        

  •  6a 16        

  •  7a 16        

  •  8a 18        

  •  9a 24       

  • 10a 32


The official coldest minimum temperature ever recorded on the peninsula is 0 deg. at Bushnell in Sumter County in 02/02/44 and unofficially at Ridge Manor in Hernando County in 01/13/81. Readings of 8 Deg. in Dade City and 9 Deg. in Plant City were also observed on 01/13/81.

Ridge Manor 4 deg. Urban, 0 deg. Rural
Dade City 16 deg. Urban, 8 deg. Rural
Plant City 17 deg. Urban, 9 deg. Rural

Synoptic conditions that led to these unusually low minimum temperatures include perfect placement of the arctic high pressure center across the central peninsula resulting in a calm surface wind profile for many hours, very dry air advection during the day, with dew points in the low single digits and dry surface conditions due to and ongoing drought. The maximum temperature in Dade City during the afternoon before the very cold event was 44 deg. not really that terribly cold but the perfect radiational cooling conditions allowed the temperature to drop very rapidly to the 8 degree reading.
 

RECORDS FOR JANUARY:  
                                      ALL-TIME  
                                     RECORD LOWS       RECORDS  
LOCATION                             FOR JANUARY        BEGAN  
  
ARCADIA                  :ARCF1    18 ON 01/12/1982      1899  
                                         & 01/13/1981  
ARCHBOLD                 :ACHF1    13 ON 01/05/2001      1969  
                                         & 01/12/1982  
AVON PARK 2 W            :AVPF1    18 ON 01/14/1981      1901  
BARTOW                   :BARF1    18 ON 01/03/1898      1892  
BROOKSVILLE CHIN HILL    :BROF1    13 ON 01/21/1985      1892  
BUSHNELL 2 E             :BSHF1    12 ON 01/21/1985      1948  
                                         & 01/13/1981  
CHIEFLAND 5 SE           :CHIF1     9 ON 01/22/1985      1956  
FORT MYERS/PAGE FIELD    :FMY      27 ON 01/26/1905      1902  
INVERNESS 3 SE           :INVF1    15 ON 01/21/1985      1948  
MOUNTAIN LAKE            :LWLF1    16 ON 01/22/1985      1935  
LAKELAND LINDER FIELD    :LLDF1    20 ON 01/22/1985      1948  
                                         & 01/21/1985  
MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK  :MKCF1    18 ON 01/13/1981      1956  
PARRISH                  :PARF1    18 ON 01/13/1981      1957  
PLANT CITY               :PLCF1    15 ON 01/27/1905      1892  
PUNTA GORDA 4 ESE        :PNTF1    23 ON 01/12/1982      1965  
SARASOTA-BRADENTON       :SRQ      23 ON 01/13/1981      1948  
                                         & 01/21/1971  
ST LEO                   :STLF1    18 ON 01/21/1985      1895  
ST PETE/ALBERT WHITTED   :SPG      27 ON 01/21/1985      1914  
TAMPA INTERNATIONAL APT  :TPA      21 ON 01/21/1985      1890  
TARPON SPRINGS           :TRPF1    19 ON 01/13/1981      1892  
VENICE                   :VNCF1    23 ON 01/13/1981      1955  
WAUCHULA 2 N             :WAUF1    20 ON 01/12/1982      1933  
WEEKI WACHEE             :WEEF1    13 ON 01/13/1981      1969  
WINTER HAVEN             :WHNF1    19 ON 01/21/1985      1941  
 

 Ft. Myers Winter Normals

All time coldest temperature on record is 24 deg F


AN INVESTIGATION INTO SYNOPTIC SIGNATURES PRECEEDING
FREEZES ACROSS FLORIDA'S CITRUS BELT


Florida has endured many documented damaging cold weather events recorded as early as 1835. As follows are many of the more significant crop damaging freeze events that occurred between 1835 and 1948.

02/7-10/1835
01/12/1886
12/28-29/1894
02/08-09/1895
02/13-14/1899
12/19-21/1901
01/26-27/1905
12/23-27/1906
02/03-04/1917
12/31/1917
12/12-13/1934
01/22/1940
01/20/1941
01/15/1948

As follows are all significant crop damaging freeze events between 1950-2010. These dates represent the coldest day of the freeze event, with many of the events experiencing 2-4 days below freezing. Events with and * represent exceptionally damaging freezes to the citrus and/or vegetable industries. 

     

  • 02/18/1950 

  • 12/19/1950

  • 12/16/1952

  • 01/30/1955

  • 02/13/1955

  • 12/12/1957 *

  • 01/09/1958 *

  • 02/04/1958 *

  • 02/17/1958

  • 01/11/1959 *

  • 01/24/1960 *

  • 12/22/1960

  • 01/22/1961 *

  • 12/30/1961 *

  • 12/13/1962 *

  • 01/18/1965 *

  • 01/29/1965

  • 01/28/1966

  • 01/31/1966 *

  • 12/25/1966 *

  • 02/09/1968

  • 12/16/1968 *

  • 01/10/1970 *

  • 02/04/1970

  • 01/20/1971 *

  • 01/28/1971 *

  • 02/26/1974 

  • 12/05/1974

  • 12/22/1976

  • 01/18/1977 *

  • 01/26/1977

  • 02/21/1977

  • 01/10/1978

  • 01/03/1979 *

  • 02/02/1979

  • 02/02/1980

  • 01/13/1981 *

  • 01/18/1981 *

  • 12/20/1981 *

  • 01/12/1982 *

  • 12/25/1983 *

  • 01/13/1983

  • 01/16/1983

  • 02/07/1984

  • 01/21/1985 *

  • 02/14/1985

  • 12/27/1985 *

  • 01/28/1986 *

  • 01/24/1987

  • 12/18/1988

  • 02/24/1989 *

  • 12/25/1989 *

  • 01/09/1996 *

  • 02/05/1996 *

  • 02/17/1996

  • 01/19/1997 *

  • 01/06/1999

  • 12/27/2000

  • 01/21/2001

  • 01/31/2001

  • 01/04/2002

  • 01/24/2003

  • 02/14/2006

  • 02/17/2007

  • 01/03/2008

  • 01/22/2009*

  • 01/11/2010* Twelve days below freezing

  • 12/07-08/2010

  • 12/13-15/2010

  • 12/27-29/2010*
 

As follows are minimum temperatures observed at Nobleton East in Sumter County During the first 14 days of January 2010. The mega freeze of January 2010 eclipsed the mega freezes of December 1989 and January 1977 in duration and in some cases actual minimum temperature.

1st- 43

2nd- 31

3rd- 29

4th- 22

5th- 25

6th- 20

7th- 18

8th- 26 Snow

9th- 16 Sleet/Snow

10th- 16

11th- 14

12th- 17

13th- 21

14th- 26



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You can contact me
Thomas F. Giella
Retired Meteorologist
Lakeland, FL at

nz4o at arrl dot net


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