PREPARE. WE’LL HAVE THE REST OF YOUR WEEKEND FORECAST IN ITS ENTIRETY. COMING UP, LADIES, COOL, COOL WEATHER. CHRIS IS SENDING MORE PEOPLE TO THE E.R. DOCTORS SAY THEY’RE SEEING A SPIKE IN RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES. REPORTER ANGELA ROZIER SHOWS US WHAT DOCTORS WANT YOU TO WATCH OUT FOR AND WHEN TO GET CHECKED OUT. WITH THIS COLD WEATHER, HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THAT EMERGENCY ROOMS ARE MUCH BUSIER WITH THOSE RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES, AND THAT INCLUDES BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS. I’M GOING TO GO UP AND RELIEVE ANOTHER MEDICAL DOCTOR. THOMAS PETERSON IS THE EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT FLORIDA COAST MEDICAL CENTER IN PORT SAINT LUCIE. HE SAYS WITH THE RECENT COLD WEATHER, THEY’RE DEFINITELY SEEING AN UPTICK IN THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS COMING IN WITH COLD RELATED INJURIES AND SIDE EFFECTS. MORE INFLUENZA, VIRAL DISEASES, RSV CASES, ASTHMA FLARING UP, RESPIRATORY ISSUES COMING UP, PNEUMONIA. SO A LOT OF THAT STUFF COMING IN, YOU KNOW, HEAVILY OVER THE LAST MONTH AND A HALF OR SO. THE PALM BEACH HEALTH NETWORK GATHERED INFORMATION FROM ITS HOSPITAL FACILITIES BETWEEN SUNDAY AND NOON THURSDAY. AND ACCORDING TO EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTORS, THEY RESPONDED TO 61 PNEUMONIA CASES, 178 FLU CASES AND 57 SEVERE ASTHMA CASES. DOCTOR PETERSON SAYS IF YOU CAN AVOID GOING OUTSIDE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIMES, IT MAY HELP, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN FLORIDA AREN’T USED TO THE COLD, AND LOWER TEMPERATURES CAN HAVE AN IMPACT. YOU DON’T GET FROSTBITE, BUT YOU CAN GET CHILBLAINS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, PAIN IN YOUR FINGERTIPS AND YOUR FEET THICKENING OF YOUR SKIN. SO AND THEN ALSO JUST SEVERE FATIGUE, DEHYDRATION, A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS CAN COME WITH COLD WEATHER. AND AGAIN, IF YOU ARE FEELING ANY SYMPTOMS, CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR IN PORT SAINT LUCIE, ANGELA ROZIER, WPBF 25 NEWS AND WARMING SHELTERS WILL BE OPENING UP ACROSS OUR AREA. SCAN THE QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN TO SEE A FULL LIST ON OUR WEBSITE. ALL OF OUR LOCAL COUNTIES ARE PLANNING TO OPEN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO TO STAY WARM IF NEEDED. MOST OPEN ON SATURDAY AND WITH THIS WEEKEND SEVERE WEATHER. DOWNLOAD OUR APP. WE’RE GOING TO SEND OUT PUSH ALERTS FOR ANY MAJOR WEATHER UPDATES AND COUNT ON T
Cold weather impacts South Florida and Treasure Coast emergency rooms
Updated: 6:46 PM EST Jan 30, 2026
Cold weather is causing a surge in emergency room visits in Florida, with doctors reporting a rise in respiratory illnesses among both children and adults.Dr. Thomas Peterson, the emergency physician and medical director at Florida Coast Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, said they are seeing an uptick in patients with cold-related injuries and side effects. “More influenza, viral diseases, RSV cases, asthmatic flaring up, respiratory issues coming up, pneumonia, so a lot of stuff coming in heavily over the last month and a half or so,” Peterson said.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsThe Palm Beach Health Network gathered information from its hospital facilities between Sunday and noon Thursday, and according to emergency room doctors, they responded to 61 pneumonia cases, 178 flu cases, and 57 severe asthma cases.Peterson advised that avoiding going outside for long periods might help, especially since many people in Florida aren’t used to the cold, and lower temperatures can have an impact. “You don’t get frostbite, but you can get chill beans, which is, you know, pain in your fingertips and your feet thickening of your skin, so and then also just severe fatigue, dehydration, so a lot of different things can come with cold weather,” Peterson said.If you are having any symptoms, it is recommended to contact your doctor.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —
Cold weather is causing a surge in emergency room visits in Florida, with doctors reporting a rise in respiratory illnesses among both children and adults.
Dr. Thomas Peterson, the emergency physician and medical director at Florida Coast Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, said they are seeing an uptick in patients with cold-related injuries and side effects.
“More influenza, viral diseases RSV cases, asthmatic flaring up, respiratory issues coming up, pneumonia so a lot of stuff coming in heavily over the last month and a half or so,” Peterson said.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
The Palm Beach Health Network gathered information from its hospital facilities between Sunday and noon Thursday, and according to emergency room doctors, they responded to 61 pneumonia cases, 178 flu cases, and 57 severe asthma cases.
Dr. Peterson advised that avoiding going outside for long periods might help, especially since many people in Florida aren’t used to the cold, and lower temperatures can have an impact.
“You don’t get frostbite, but you can get chill beans which is you know pain in your fingertips and your feet thickening of your skin so and then also just severe fatigue dehydration so a lot of different things can come with cold weather,” Peterson said.
If you are having any symptoms, it is recommended to contact your doctor.
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25