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The US continues to be at the mercy of freezing temperatures across much of the country, stretching from the north-east all the way into the south and putting approximately 150 million people under cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings.
Florida’s uncharacteristic cold snap has led to some rare sightings: snowflakes and falling iguanas. In Miami and Orlando, the lows dropped to 35F (1.7C) and 24F (-4.4C), respectively, undoubtedly disappointing the vacationers who sought to go to the Sunshine state to escape the freezing temperature on the east coast.
More stunned than the Florida tourists, however, were the iguanas: in temperatures this low, the cold-blooded reptiles become paralyzed and drop from the trees. Though it is upsetting to witness, wildlife officials noted that the iguanas were not dead, and regain mobility once temperatures rise again.
Due to the unusually cold conditions, the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) has been allowing residents to capture and transport the non-native reptiles to five designated FWC offices over the weekend. One FWC office based in Sunrise, Florida received more than 1,000 iguanas on Sunday.
A bomb cyclone, classified by meteorologists as an intense, rapidly strengthening weather system, contributed to heavy snow across the south, including nearly 1ft (30cm) in and around Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city.
The National Weather Service office for Raleigh warned that wind chills will drop early Monday to near 0F. “Snow and ice will linger, with refreezing tonight making travel hazardous,” the office said on Sunday on social media. “Use caution on roads and dress in warm layers.”
More than 110 deaths connected to the wintry weather and storms have been reported around the US since late January. In Tennessee and Mississippi, two states struck by a previous storm carrying snow and ice, almost 80,000 customers were still without electricity on Monday morning, according to the outage tracking website poweroutage.us.
In New York, 14 people are confirmed to have died outside during the winter storm and subsequent days of frigid temperatures. New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, said on Saturday that hypothermia “played a role” in eight of the deaths, according to preliminary findings.
Speaking over the weekend, Mamdani added: “We have expanded shelter capacity, relaxed intake rules and worked with faith-based and community-based organizations to scale up outreach. As we have made clear, we are not going to slow down in this work.”
Amid the weeks of freezing temperatures and icy cold, the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil forecast what many across the country have feared most: six more weeks of winter. The Pennsylvania critter’s annual prediction – made famous by the movie starring Bill Murray – was met with a mix of cheers and boos from the thousands of people who trekked through single-digit temperatures to see what his forecast would be.
But another groundhog, Woodstock Willie, offered an antidote of hope. The midwestern alternative to Punxsutawney Phil predicted that warmer days are ahead.
“Willie looks skyward to the east and behind to the ground and stated clearly in groundhog-ese: ‘I definitely do not see a shadow!’” Stephen Tobolowsky, who portrayed insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the movie, read from a proclamation before a crowd. “Spring is coming!”
