Unfortunate timing: March Breakers see 0°C weather in parts of Florida
Some Canadians packed their bags and travelled south to sunnier, warmer destinations as the first week of March Break kicked off. Unfortunately, some folks arrived at their destination just to see chilly temperatures that were comparable to the weather many of us normally see during the month of March.
Miami started the weekend with a new heat record by reaching 32.2°C, however, abnormally cool temperatures arrived on Saturday and the city dropped 8°C in just 40 minutes. Miami then reached a chilly 10°C on Sunday. This is not far from the coldest temperature that has ever been recorded at this time of year in Miami, which is 8.3°C (1959).
Temperatures bottomed out Sunday morning across the U.S. Southeast and records were broken in northern Florida when temperatures dropped to -4°C in Crestview. Jacksonville also dropped below freezing, where heavy rain, wind and cold delayed one of the PGA Tour’s biggest tournaments.
The cause for the unusually frigid conditions is an enormous low pressure system that has impacted millions during its track that stretched over 4,000 km in length.
A cold front sliced through parts of the southern U.S., Cuba, and Mexico and was the cause for the chilly temperatures in Florida. Snow was even seen coasting palm trees from Virginia to northern Louisiana.
The storm rapidly intensified over the weekend as it tracked up the Atlantic coast and ended up breaking pressure records in Newfoundland and Labrador early Sunday.
“The week is not a lost cause for those visiting the U.S. South, as temperatures are expected to rebound to above 20°C in Florida and the Carolina coast,” says Kevin MacKay, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
