Frost/Freeze — Far South Miami-dade County, Florida

2009-01-22 · Far South Miami-dade County, Florida

Event narrative

Temperatures dropped to below freezing over most of interior South Florida on the morning of January 22. Temperatures bottomed out as low as the mid 20s over portions of Glades, Hendry and Collier counties where a hard freeze was noted, with a low of 22 recorded at Palmdale in Glades County. Readings in the upper 20s to around 30 were observed over inland sections of Palm Beach county, with near freezing temperatures of 30-32 degrees over inland sections of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. In addition to the freezing temperatures, widespread heavy frost formed over most of interior and northern sections of South Florida.

Crop damage was extensive in some areas, with total losses to bean and corn crops in parts of western Palm Beach county. Losses to tomato and strawberry crops were also noted in Hendry and Collier counties, with the exact extent of damage not yet known.

Wider weather episode

An arctic cold front moved through South Florida on January 20th. High pressure of arctic origin settled over the region behind the cold front, bringing freezing temperatures to much of South Florida on the mornings of January 21 and 22.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 151638. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.