florida 2025-2026 Florida Winter

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Are we getting one last cold front? My 10 day shows a drop into the mid 40s next week. I’m hoping it doesn’t end up being anything too severe I already took a bunch of plants outside.

[kinzyjr]

23 hours ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Are we getting one last cold front? My 10 day shows a drop into the mid 40s next week. I’m hoping it doesn’t end up being anything too severe I already took a bunch of plants outside.

So far, it looks like a few nights in the 40s.  After what we got at the beginning of February, piece of cake.  

[SubTropicRay]

On 2/25/2026 at 3:30 PM, Jimbean said:

It depends on how far inland you are in St. Lucie county.  If you're generally east of the turnpike, then normally you'd be good.  The setup we had on 02/01 was unusually bad, similar to 12/25/1989.  If I remember correctly, the all time record lows on the east coast are as follows:

Merritt Island 21F

Patrick Space Force Base 24F

Melbourne 17/19F

Vero Beach 21F

Fort Peirce 19F

Port St. Lucie 22F

West Palm Beach 24F

We were not too far off from our all time record lows, about 2F to 6F in fact.  What we just saw historically is almost as bad as it gets.  The rest of the state was give or take was a repeat of 2010.  North Florida and within about ten miles from the gulf coast fared comparatively well on this one. 

This freeze definitely had teeth but nowhere near the 1989 low temps or durations below 32F.  The 2-6F differences you mentioned are huge.  20F in 1989 for Vero vs 26F this go round is a huge difference and amounts to an extra 10+ hours below freezing per night.  Compare the 6 degree difference between 32F and 26F and tell me they're in the same ball park.  Melbourne 19F in 1989 vs 24 this go round.  Lots of stuff will survive the 24F.  19F is a widespread death sentence.  WPB had a low of 30F this time vs mid 20's in 1989.  Again, this freeze is very comparable to 2010 but the affected areas were reversed from that event.   At least the warmth leading up to this event allowed some microclimates to provide residual heat.  In 2010 after 10 days of temps 10-20F below normal, the hard freezes at the end finished off already weakened plants.  The 2010 freeze was also earlier in the season (just after New Year) so plants had less time to acclimate to the 11 days chill. 

[SeanK]

On 3/9/2026 at 8:52 AM, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Are we getting one last cold front? My 10 day shows a drop into the mid 40s next week. I’m hoping it doesn’t end up being anything too severe I already took a bunch of plants outside.

I see the same up here. Mar 16/17 with nights below freezing. I'd expected a little more cold that would put strawberries in the SE at risk. No surprise.

[bubba]

Ray,

I agree completely with your analysis about the similarity between the February 2026 cold event in southeast Florida and the 1989 event although I would provide a slight clarification. Specifically, PBIA reported a low temperature of 31°F in this event and 28°F in 1989. The January 2010 cold event never resulted in a freeze in this area but was brutal because of the 10 days of highs in the upper 50s Fahrenheit and lows in the upper 30s Fahrenheit.

[kinzyjr]

To add context to @bubba and @SubTropicRay's commentary, these are all of the dates where West Palm Beach International Airport has recorded temperatures in the 20s:

[SeanK]

First of two strong cold fronts pushing through this morning. Should rebound over the weekend then a second punch on Monday. Doesn't look to be crossing into Florida. Low of 42°F to hit Ocala Tuesday night. 

[Matthew92]

Ughh… well I shouldn’t be too surprised since this has happened in the FL Panhandle the last few years (and coincides with the last frost dates up here), but still not fun to have to pull out some blankets and move inside some tender stuff. 

[kinzyjr]

Not a freeze, but after the winter we've had, bad enough to be lemon juice in a paper cut.

[JLM]

38F this morning, was only supposed to be 42F. I did not pull anything under cover, so hopefully no frost got the potted stuff.

NWS currently has 34F and 35F for Monday and Tuesday nights. I just wanna get this cold snap done and over with so we can hopefully actually move on this time.

[bubba]

Kinsey,

I forgot about 1977, 1982, 1985 but not 1989! Reminds me of the cluster of freezes in 1893, 1895 and 1899! 
 

That stated, no real effect on the level of vegetation and palms because of the overall heat. What grows!

[Jimbean]

On 3/10/2026 at 12:15 PM, SubTropicRay said:

This freeze definitely had teeth but nowhere near the 1989 low temps or durations below 32F.  The 2-6F differences you mentioned are huge.  20F in 1989 for Vero vs 26F this go round is a huge difference and amounts to an extra 10+ hours below freezing per night.  Compare the 6 degree difference between 32F and 26F and tell me they're in the same ball park.  Melbourne 19F in 1989 vs 24 this go round.  Lots of stuff will survive the 24F.  19F is a widespread death sentence.  WPB had a low of 30F this time vs mid 20's in 1989.  Again, this freeze is very comparable to 2010 but the affected areas were reversed from that event.   At least the warmth leading up to this event allowed some microclimates to provide residual heat.  In 2010 after 10 days of temps 10-20F below normal, the hard freezes at the end finished off already weakened plants.  The 2010 freeze was also earlier in the season (just after New Year) so plants had less time to acclimate to the 11 days chill. 

Melbourne officially hit a low of 25F, and it got down to 25.4F where I'm at.  Most of the readings were also 25F, with 26F-ish along the Indian River and some 24F readings west of I-95

[Matthew92]

32 deg here. Thankfully no frost since it was a little windy. Threw blankets over my flower bed of Kalanchoe's I had recently planted, as well as some perennials with new growth, also 2 rose bushes that had tender new growth and flower buds coming out. 

2 more nights of this (tonight being more the concern with forecast at 31, last night more just for frost with low of 34).

[bubba]

Hard to believe! Down in Key Largo with family, grandchildren spring break. Had strong thunderstorms last night and it is overcast and mid-70'sF. Florida is a big and long state!

[JLM]

33F this morning, probably had a little bit of frost or it dipped below 32F briefly in the backyard, all the tropicals had some brown spots this morning.

NWS showing 31F for tonight and 39F for tomorrow night.

[Eric in Orlando]

Though this Feb freeze was the coldest around Orlando since the 12/89 freeze it was no where near as bad. For those who weren't here or forgot, some examples of  what happened to "hardy" palms in 12/89...(2 nights at 19-20F, the hi in between barely reaching 32F so duration was extreme and 1-2 nights after in the upper 20s)

Acrocomia aculeata- killed

Acrocomia totai- severe burn

Arenga engleri (a few around)- severe foliage damage, some stems killed back

X Butyagrus nabonnandii- varied from no damage to severe burn

Chamaedorea microspadix- some leaf burn

Livistona chinensis- had burned foliage

Livistona australis- some foliage burn

Livistona decora ( a few were around)- severe foliage burn

Phoenix canariensis- some foliage burn on some specimens

Phoenix sylvestris- some burned leaves

Phoenix reclinata (non hybrid)- dead or killed to the roots

Phoenix roebelenii- almost were killed (many had perished in 83 and 85)

Phoenix rupicola- most had died in 83 or 85, if not 89 killed them (one survived in Epcot , planted in 1984 and some by Pirates of the Caribbean planted back in the 70s, but very protected microclimates, the Epcot specimen is still there with a constriction in the trunk marking 89)

Rhapis excelsa- most killed to the roots

Syagrus romanzoffiana- most were killed if they had survived 83 and 85, the robust/southern Brazil forms survived

Washingtonia robusta- burned foliage

 

tropical palms like Chrysalidocarpus lutescens and Caryota urens killed back to the roots, many died outright, a few surprisingly came up in 1990 after being knocked back in 83,85 and 89

Everything else tender, Archontophoenix, Howea, Cocos, Adonidia, Ptychosperma, Roystonea, Hyophorbe, Latania, Licuala, Coccothrinax, Thrinax, all killed

 

A few surprises around;

Attalea rostrata and Arenga pinnata at Leu Gardens survived all 3 80s freezes (defoliated in all 3), both planted in 1973

A juvenile Copernicia macroglossa defoliated but survived in Maitland and the collector had Livistona australis die, he recorded 17F on the north side of Lake Maitland

A mature Roystonea regia at an appx 15 story building downtown growing in a U shaped courtyard facing south survived 83 and 85, it had major burn but grew out but died around 1987(unknown reason), also Syagrus romanzoffiana and Phoenix reclinata survived the same freezes there with only moderate burn and mature Heptapleurum actinophyllum (Schefflera) only had partial dieback

 

[JLM]

Hit exactly 32F for about 5 minutes around 4:30 AM CDT before it started rising again. By the time I woke up at 6:30 AM CDT, the temperature had already risen to 37F. Thank you clouds!!

NWS still showing 39F for tonight.

[kinzyjr]

Nothing of note here as far as weather.  Mid-40s throughout the yard with DVP2 temperatures near 45F both nights.  Wouldn't mind if it was 75/45 year-round and my plantings were adapted to it.

[Looking Glass]

We had a low of 58 yesterday, with a high of 74.  Been drizzling 1/3rd of an inch of rain on and off for days.  Extended this garden bed out another 10 feet yesterday and planted a bunch of coonties and bromeliads that had been sitting in pots for years.  

[kinzyjr]

A layer has been added to the third impact cold snap map for the February 2026 freeze.  If more data becomes available later, this layer will be updated.   

http://tinyurl.com/4xyx52p5

This information is also available on the Florida Freeze and Weather Station Data thread as both a link and a spreadsheet: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/66320-florida-freeze-and-weather-station-data/?page=2#findComment-1253368

[Matthew92]

31 deg here yesterday morning. 38 this morning. So glad this is over now (as far as I can see)…

[JLM]

40F this morning. I was concerned it would drop lower than the forecasted 39F/40F considering it was already 42F by 10 PM, but the temperature hit 40F and maintained thru sunrise.

Highs in the 80s expected this weekend into next week. We will have highs in the 90s and heat index values well over 100F before we know it. Gonna try to use these low 80s days to get as much labor intensive projects done that I can before heat settles in within the next couple of months. Happy planting if you haven't already!

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Looks like one more cool down beginning of April. I'm seeing highs in low 70s for a day or two but lows only in the low 60s. As more vegetation pops, will be harder to get lows to bottom out as humidity increases at night.