Multiple New Records Set During Eastern U.S. Cold Snap

The blast of Arctic air that left millions shivering across the Midwest, the Great Lakes, and the Northeast to start the week made it as far as the southeastern U.S. and Florida on Tuesday. How cold did it get, and when will the more seasonable temperatures return to the region? Read on for the latest forecast details.

Records Falling Over the Place in the Southeast

It has been an abnormally frigid few days in the Southeast. Freezing temperatures were recorded as far south as the northern Gulf Coast and over the border into Florida on Tuesday morning. For example, readings in the 30s were confirmed in Immokalee, Florida. Heading down into South Florida, the Fort Lauderdale and Miami metro areas saw temperatures slide into the upper 40s. Readings in the mid to upper 50s were the norm for the upper and middle portions of the Florida Keys, a part of the state normally immune to this type of chill.

Stiff winds accompanied the surge of cold air, dragging the real feel readings down into the teens and 20s across a wide swath of land through the Midwest, the Northeast, and into the South. Temperatures and wind chills bottomed out in the early morning hours on Tuesday, making for some cold walks to the bus stop for millions of students.

There were dozens of new records that were set or tied during this freeze. Florida cities such as Key West, Melbourne, and Fort Myers all tied records for the coldest readings so early in the season. Gulfport, Mississippi, also tied the record for the coldest day on November 11 when it registered a low of 27 degrees.