As a powerful winter storm pushed Arctic air deep into states more used to sun than snow, roads clogged, power lines snapped, and in subtropical Florida, large green lizards started falling from the trees like strange, scaly hail.
Cold snap turns the south into a winter maze
The same system that froze Florida’s iguanas buried large parts of the southern and southeastern US under heavy snow and treacherous ice. North Carolina, a state that usually keeps its serious snow in the mountains, found itself in the centre of the chaos.
Lexington recorded around 16 inches (40 centimetres) of snow, while Walnut Mountains, near the community of Faust, reached 22 inches (56 centimetres). For many residents, those numbers were not just unusual; they were record-shifting.
Across the south, a fast-moving Arctic blast turned familiar roads and neighbourhoods into obstacle courses of snow, ice, and fallen branches.
North Carolina’s governor, Josh Stein, said police had logged around 1,000 vehicle collisions over the weekend and confirmed at least two deaths related to the storm. Authorities repeatedly urged people to stay home and warned about frostbite symptoms in areas where many residents simply aren’t used to long stretches of sub-freezing temperatures.
This storm followed another major winter event just a week earlier, which had already killed more than 100 people across the United States and left towns and cities shovelling out from deep snow and glazed pavements. For emergency services and power crews, the break between disasters was painfully short.
Florida freezes while iguanas fall
Florida did not share the Carolinas’ snow depths, but the state was hit by something arguably more shocking: record-breaking cold. Orlando dropped to 24°F (-4°C), the lowest February temperature there since at least 1923. Typical February days in central Florida normally see gentle lows of around 12°C and highs near 23°C.
For humans in jackets and hats, that meant chattering teeth and frozen lawns. For iguanas, it meant something stranger.
Local TV network WPLG 10 in Miami reported that it was literally “raining iguanas” on Sunday morning. The cold-blooded reptiles, stunned by the sudden chill, began losing their grip on branches and tumbling to the ground in parks, gardens, and along canals.
As temperatures dropped near freezing, iguanas went into a cold-induced stupor, turned rigid, and fell from trees onto pavements and patios.
Videos on social media showed limp iguanas scattered on pavements, their bodies stiff but their eyes still open. Some appeared dead. Many were still alive, simply too chilled to move.
Why iguanas drop from trees when it gets cold
Green iguanas are ectotherms, or cold-blooded animals. Their internal body temperature follows the ambient environment. When the air gets too cold, their metabolism slows dramatically. Muscles lose function, reflexes fade, and the animals can no longer cling to branches.
- Above about 50°F (10°C): Iguanas remain active and can move normally.
- Around 45°F–50°F (7°C–10°C): They become sluggish and slow.
- Near or below 40°F (4°C): Many enter a torpor-like state and may fall from trees.
Although the behaviour looks dramatic, many of these reptiles are not dead. Once temperatures rise and the sun returns, they often “wake up” and crawl away. That said, prolonged or repeated exposure to near-freezing temperatures can kill weaker individuals, especially juveniles.
Handling an invasive species in a freeze
Florida’s iguana drama isn’t just a curiosity; it’s part of a wider ecological and regulatory story. Green iguanas are not native to the state. They are considered an invasive species that damages infrastructure, gardens, and native ecosystems.
Introduced mostly through the pet trade, iguanas have spread widely through south and central Florida. They burrow into sea walls and canal banks, chew through vegetation, and compete with native wildlife. Their population thrives in the usual subtropical heat.
During the cold snap, wildlife specialist Jessica Kilgore, who runs a removal service called Iguana Solutions, told local media she collected hundreds of pounds of iguanas, both alive and dead. The weight reflects how large and numerous these creatures have become in urban and suburban areas.
The freeze briefly turned a stubborn invasive problem into a clean-up operation, with stunned lizards easy to pick up by the armful.
Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued an executive order allowing people to transport iguanas—ordinarily strictly regulated—to agency offices. The reptiles can’t be kept as pets without permits, but the temporary measure gave residents and trappers a legal pathway to hand them over during the cold snap.
What residents are told to do with frozen iguanas
Wildlife officials typically advise Floridians not to try to “save” fallen iguanas by bringing them indoors to warm up, especially if they are invasive green iguanas rather than native species like the Florida spiny-tailed iguana. Handling large lizards carries risks, including bites, scratches, and Salmonella.
In practice, advice often boils down to a few key points:
- Do not place stunned iguanas inside your home or car.
- Keep pets away, as they may attack or be scratched.
- If you choose to move one, wear gloves and treat the animal as if it could suddenly wake.
- Contact licensed trappers or wildlife agencies if large numbers are present.
Storm fallout: flights, power cuts, and coastal flooding
While Florida handled falling lizards, other states dealt with more familiar storm effects. The National Weather Service said heavy snow would gradually ease across the Carolinas, but warned that powerful winds would march up the east coast as an intense cyclone slid offshore.
North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a narrow barrier island chain dotted with holiday homes and fishing villages, saw ocean water washing over its main highway. Strong winds and high tides pushed waves across the road, leaving sand, debris, and standing water that could keep sections closed for days.
At Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a major hub for American Airlines, more than 800 flights were cancelled on Sunday alone, according to tracking data. Stranded passengers slept on the floor or tried to rebook journeys into the next week.
Across the southern states, roughly 158,000 customers were without power on Sunday. Outages hit Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, and Louisiana especially hard, leaving many residents relying on gas heaters, blankets, and in some cases, car engines for warmth.
| State | Main impact |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | Heavy snowfall, road collisions, Outer Banks flooding, major flight cancellations |
| Florida | Record low temperatures, stunned iguanas falling from trees, scattered power outages |
| Mississippi & Tennessee | Power cuts, icy roads, continued recovery from earlier storms |
| Georgia & Virginia (south) | Snow and ice, hazardous travel, cold-related health concerns |
Climate context: extremes in unexpected places
Events like these are attracting growing attention from climate scientists. While individual storms are shaped by daily weather patterns, broader warming trends can influence how and where extremes appear.
A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which can fuel intense snow events when cold air intrudes. At the same time, changes in the polar jet stream can occasionally allow Arctic air to plunge deeper into the southern US, creating sharp temperature contrasts.
Warmer average winters do not remove cold snaps; they can sit alongside them, leading to wilder swings between T-shirt weather and deep freeze.
In Florida, these swings pose a specific challenge. Wildlife, infrastructure, and people are all tuned to a generally mild winter climate. When rare freezes hit, everything from iguanas in trees to citrus crops in groves can be caught off guard.
Key terms and real-world risks
Two scientific ideas often mentioned around such storms are worth putting in plain language:
- Frostbite: Damage to skin and tissues caused by freezing. It starts with numbness and pale or greyish skin, especially on fingers, toes, nose, and ears. Wind makes it arrive faster.
- Bomb cyclone: A rapidly intensifying low-pressure storm. Meteorologists use this term when pressure drops very quickly, signalling stronger winds and often more severe weather.
For residents, the risks go beyond a few days of inconvenience. Extended power cuts in cold conditions can trigger carbon monoxide poisoning when people use generators or grills indoors. On roads, black ice leads to pile-ups. And for communities living near eroding coastlines, like parts of the Outer Banks, each storm strips away a little more sand and security.
On the ecological side, sudden freezes can temporarily reduce populations of invasive tropical species such as iguanas and certain exotic fish. Yet if warm trends continue over the long term, these species may rebound or spread further north. Conservationists are watching closely to see whether repeated cold snaps will genuinely limit invasives, or simply become another dramatic, short-lived chapter in a warming climate punctuated by occasional deep chills.
