As temperatures plunged, states more used to mild winters wrestled with deep snow, dangerous roads, and a bizarre Florida spectacle: iguanas tumbling from trees as the cold literally stunned them.
Record-breaking cold turns Florida upside down
Florida avoided the deep snow that smothered parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee, but the cold itself made history. Orlando hit 24 °F (-4 °C), the lowest temperature recorded there in February in at least a century. For a region that usually sits somewhere between 12 °C and 23 °C at this time of year, the shock was immediate and visible.
South Florida residents woke up to what local TV station WPLG 10 described as “raining iguanas”. As overnight temperatures dipped into a range that green iguanas cannot tolerate, the reptiles simply shut down and dropped from branches, patios, and garden walls.
When temperatures in South Florida sink into the single digits Celsius or below, large green iguanas often become immobile and fall from trees, appearing dead but usually just chilled into temporary paralysis.
Videos shared online showed pavements and driveways littered with motionless iguanas, some the length of a child, scattered among cars and garden furniture. While it can look apocalyptic, wildlife experts stressed that many of the animals revive once the sun returns and their bodies warm up.
Why iguanas fall when the temperature drops
Iguanas are ectotherms, or cold-blooded animals. They depend on external warmth to regulate their body temperature. In tropical climates that works in their favour. In a cold snap, it becomes a serious liability.
The science behind a “frozen” lizard
Once the air cools to around 40 °F (4–5 °C), large iguanas can no longer move properly. Muscles stiffen, reflexes slow, and grip strength fails. That is when they lose their hold on branches and crash to the ground.
They are not literally frozen solid. Instead, their metabolism drops sharply into a state that resembles deep sleep. Heart and breathing rates fall, and the animals may not respond even to touch. As the sun rises and temperatures climb, many gradually wake and clamber away.
That process can take hours, and not all survive. Weaker, younger, or injured animals may die from the cold or from impact injuries during the fall.
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Invasive species, unusual opportunity
Green iguanas are not native to Florida. They are considered an invasive species, introduced through the pet trade and now well established in urban and suburban environments. They damage landscaping, undermine sea walls and canals with their burrows, and sometimes chew through wiring.
The cold snap gave removal teams a rare opportunity. With the reptiles temporarily immobilised, they became easier to catch and transport.
Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a special order permitting people to collect and move iguanas to state offices, a move aimed at controlling a growing invasive population while temperatures kept the animals docile.
Jessica Kilgore, who runs a removal service called Iguana Solutions, reported collecting hundreds of pounds of iguanas, both alive and dead, during the brief but fierce cold spell. For professionals like her, such weather brings an intense burst of work, followed by a rapid return to normal tropical conditions.
- Cold-stunned iguanas often appear dead but may revive when warmed.
- Handling should be cautious; a revived iguana can scratch or bite.
- Residents are advised not to relocate or release iguanas in new areas.
Snow chaos further north as the storm rolls through
While Florida grappled with falling reptiles, the same weather system buried parts of the Carolinas under heavy snow. North Carolina, a state that usually sees only modest winter events outside its mountain areas, reported some of the highest totals.
| Location | Reported snowfall |
|---|---|
| Lexington, North Carolina | 16 inches (40 cm) |
| Faust, Walnut Mountains, NC | 22 inches (56 cm) |
Governor Josh Stein said state authorities recorded around 1,000 road collisions across Saturday and Sunday, with at least two deaths linked to the hazardous conditions. He urged residents to avoid non-essential travel and pay attention to early signs of frostbite in exposed skin.
The National Weather Service indicated that the heaviest snow in the Carolinas would ease by Sunday, but strong winds would build along the Eastern Seaboard as an intense cyclone moved offshore. That meant more coastal flooding, flying debris, and a tough clean-up even after the snowfall stopped.
Power cuts, flight cancellations, and coastal flooding
Knock-on disruptions spread beyond the snow belt. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a major hub for American Airlines, saw more than 800 flights cancelled on Sunday, stranding passengers across multiple states.
Along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a string of barrier islands known for holiday homes and surf breaks, powerful winds and high tides pushed seawater over the main highway. The overwash left parts of the road impassable and could keep access limited for days.
Across the southern states, about 158,000 customers were still without electricity on Sunday, particularly in Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, and Louisiana. For many households, the loss of power brought a double hardship: freezing conditions indoors and limited ability to use electric heaters or cookers.
A winter of extremes across the United States
This latest storm hit only about a week after a separate, far-reaching winter system swept through much of the United States, killing more than 100 people and piling snow and ice across multiple regions. Communities still digging themselves out were forced to brace for more wind and fresh disruption.
Meteorologists pointed to a combination of Arctic air plunging south and an active storm track that funnels moisture across the country. Those ingredients can generate rapid pressure drops and fast-developing systems, including so-called “bomb cyclones”. These storms intensify rapidly and produce strong winds, heavy precipitation, and sometimes coastal flooding.
Recurring extreme winter events underline how sensitive infrastructure, wildlife, and daily life are to sudden swings in temperature and storm intensity, especially in regions not built with harsh winters in mind.
What residents can do during future cold snaps
The sight of falling iguanas may trend online, yet for residents it also raises practical questions. People who find a cold-stunned iguana on their property face a mix of safety, legal, and ethical issues.
Experts typically recommend avoiding close contact unless you know how to handle large reptiles. A stunned iguana can wake up suddenly once brought into a warm home, potentially causing injuries or damage. In Florida, regulations restrict ownership and transport of these animals without permits, though temporary allowances have been made in some cold events.
If temperatures like this become more common, communities may need clearer local guidance, such as:
- How to report large numbers of invasive animals during weather events.
- When professional removal services should be called.
- Which agencies can receive captured iguanas under emergency orders.
Climate context and ecological knock-on effects
Episodes of intense cold can seem at odds with discussions about a warming climate. Climate scientists note that warming does not eliminate cold spells, but it can shift their timing, frequency, and the regions they hit hardest. A generally warmer baseline also means ecosystems and species become tuned to milder conditions, so brief but sharp cold events can cause more damage.
For invasive reptiles like Florida’s iguanas, periodic freezes have historically limited their northward spread. If deep freezes grow rarer or shorter, that natural brake weakens. On the other hand, an occasional cold blast, like the one this weekend, can temporarily shrink populations in the coldest exposed areas.
Residents watching iguanas tumble from trees are witnessing a simple biological reality: animals adapted to tropical heat struggle when the thermostat suddenly swings. As cities expand and climates shift, unusual scenes like this may become a more familiar part of winter along the southern edge of the United States.