Brrrr! Frigid blast could send iguanas falling from trees in Florida

The temperature in Florida will plunge to the lowest levels in years because of a southward plunge in the air.

AccuWeather warns that both crops and records could be in danger from the cold. Some areas could reach their lowest temperatures in more than 80 years. iguanas can fall out of trees in cold weather.

There were freeze warnings in effect for parts of southern Georgia and northern Florida on Friday morning.

Mother Nature has already given the state multiple rounds of cold air, and this incoming bitter blast is expected to be even colder.

The core of the cold will reach the Florida Peninsula by Saturday night as temperatures plummet across the interior Southeast. The icy air will dive southward behind the nor'Easter that is set to hit the mid-Atlantic and New England this weekend.

On Saturday, high temperatures are expected to be stuck in the 30s and 40s F, with a few degrees below average, across the southeastern states. Atlanta is expected to have a high in the upper 30s, when the middle 50s are more typical for the end of January.

AccuWeather RealFeel predicts temperatures will be in the 20s throughout the day.

That could cause trouble for the agriculture sector in Florida.

There is a serious concern for the crops in Florida with the hard freeze forecast to set in on Saturday night and advise that frost and freeze mitigation measures be taken ahead of time to minimize or prevent damage and loss.

In the central portion of the Florida Peninsula, 15 to 20 percent of the region's groves could be below 28 degrees for two to three hours on Saturday night. The majority of oranges in Florida are grown in the south of the peninsula, where there is a low chance of a freeze.

There are other things falling in Florida this weekend. The state's cold-blooded iguanas don't handle low temperatures well and can become sick when it gets cold.

iguanas fall to the ground in zombielike fashion when the temperatures fall to their lowest point during the night, because they become immobile while sleeping in trees. They will come back to life once the temperature goes up in the morning.

The northern part of the state is likely to experience lower temperatures for a longer time than the south.

A number of records will be in jeopardy on January 30 because of the low temperatures.

The lowest temperature for the day in Florida is 31 degrees.

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Many outlying areas around the city will plummet into the middle to upper 20s F on Sunday because of the low temperatures.

The National Weather Service said the low temperatures on Sunday could be the lowest in the area in a year.

It is possible that Fort Myers will tie its record low on Sunday. In 1978 that low was 35. Miami's lowest reading was 36 in 1940.

The temperature could fall into the upper 40s in Marathon, located in the Florida Keys. Marathon has fallen below 50 degrees six times in the past 10 years.

The cold snap is not expected to reach record levels for most interior areas of the Southeast, but temperatures in the middle teens to 20s Saturday night from Tennessee to the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama will certainly require extra layers for anyone outdoors.

Property owners are advised to take precautions to prevent costly damage caused by frozen pipes during the cold spell. Pets are not allowed to be left outside for an extended period of time.

The good news is that the cold weather will be short-lived, with temperatures expected to rebound as early as next week.

During and after this weekend's potent nor'Easter, thearctic surge will keep temperatures below average in the Midwest and Northeast.

The latest weather news can be found on AccuWeather.com. The AccuWeather Network is available on a number of television and internet providers. You can now watch AccuWeather Now on your streaming platform.