Fort Lauderdale, FL – South Florida woke up to unusually cold conditions Monday as Fort Lauderdale and Key West recorded their coldest temperatures ever observed on February 2nd.
According to weather officials, the cold snap followed the arrival of a strong Arctic front that pushed unseasonably chilly air deep into the region overnight.
Fort Lauderdale International Airport recorded a low temperature of 37 degrees early Monday morning, breaking the previous February 2 record of 38 degrees set in 1979.
In Key West, temperatures dropped to 49 degrees, surpassing the prior record low of 50 degrees from 1980.
Meteorologists said these readings are well below normal for early February, when overnight lows typically remain in the 60s.
Miami did not break its February 2nd record but experienced unusually cold conditions as well.
On Sunday, the city reached a low of 35 degrees, marking its coldest February 1st temperature in more than a decade.
Weather officials noted that temperatures across much of South Florida remained 10 to 15 degrees below seasonal averages throughout the morning hours.
Daytime highs on Monday struggled to rebound, with many areas only reaching the upper 50s and low 60s.
Gusty north and northwest winds added to the cold feel, producing brisk conditions throughout the region.
Despite the record-setting cold, forecasters said the temperatures were still far from South Florida’s all-time lows, which occurred during historic cold events in the 1940s and 1970s.
The forecast calls for a gradual warming trend over the coming days, with temperatures expected to return to more typical winter levels by midweek.
Another cold front later in the week could bring cooler overnight lows, though not at record-breaking levels.