South Florida, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale, will begin to feel the impact of a cold air mass tonight, following the historic winter storm that struck the central and eastern United States. Meteorologists warn that this episode could bring unusually low temperatures to the region in the coming days.
Why does Arctic air reach Florida?
The drop in temperatures is due to an unusual atmospheric configuration. The large accumulations of snow and ice in the northern part of the country strengthened the presence of dense Arctic air, allowing it to move farther south than usual.
Additionally, the weather pattern will be dominated by deep troughs over the U.S. East Coast. These act as a channel that drives repeated cold fronts, meaning it won’t be a single event but a series of polar air reinforcements that will keep the environment colder and drier throughout the week.
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Weather forecast for Miami and Fort Lauderdale
According to weather models:
- Tonight and tomorrow: minimum temperatures between 40°F and the low 50s, with cold early mornings for the region.
- Friday and Saturday: sunrises in the mid-50s°F.
- Weekend: a new, more intense front could bring a sharp drop in temperatures, with lows potentially approaching 30°F in inland areas.
Sunday and Monday sunrises could be the coldest, with unusually low temperatures for South Florida.
Will cold records be broken in Florida?
Seeing temperatures in the 30s°F in South Florida is extremely rare. To put the event into perspective:
- Fort Lauderdale: all-time record low of 28°F, recorded on January 20, 1977.
- Miami: the last time it reached 36°F was December 14, 2010.
Current projections indicate similar values for Sunday, February 1, underscoring the unusual nature of the cold snap that could develop.
Weather alert: below-average cold for 10 days
The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is keeping South Florida under a high probability of temperatures well below average over the next 10 days, reinforcing the expectation of a colder-than-normal end to January and start to February.
