Florida's Historic February Freeze Shatters 117-Year Records and Creates Strange Sky Phenomenon
When most people think about Florida, they envision things like beautiful oranges, Walt Disney World, and warm temperatures. As a result, it certainly seemed like the state could get away unscathed as winter storms struck other regions of the country with heavy snow and 80 mph winds at the same time. Despite that, it has been so cold in Florida that it broke temperature records that stood for more than a century, and caused a weird phenomenon to appear in the sky.
Florida's Historic February Freeze Shattered Three 117-Year-Old Records
(Photo by Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
On February 2, 2026, the Palm Beach News published an article that detailed the staggeringly rare cold weather that slammed Florida. Most stunningly, that article revealed that the following three cold-weather records that had remained static for 117 years had been broken. To be clear, all of the below-listed records are specific to February 1 in each city listed.
City: | Date: | Old Record & Year: | New Record: | How Old Broken Record Was: |
Miami, Florida | February 1 | 36°F from 1909 | 35°F from 2026 | 117 Years |
Fort Pierce, Florida | February 1 | 32°F from 1909 | 25°F from 2026 | 117 Years |
West Palm, Florida | February 1 | 36°F from 1909 | 30°F from 2026 | 117 Years |
The same report highlighted many other daily records that were broken during the snap. While none matched the 117-year streaks, most had stood for decades. Here's a selection:
- Daytona Beach — Feb. 1, 2026: 23°F Broke daily low for Feb. 1 (previous: 30°F in 1936; 90 years old)
- Leesburg — Feb. 1, 2026: 23°F Broke daily low for Feb. 1 (previous: 30°F in 1979; 47 years old)
- Sanford — Feb. 1, 2026: 23°F Broke daily low for Feb. 1 (previous: 30°F in 1965; 61 years old)
- Orlando — Feb. 1, 2026: 24°F Broke daily low for Feb. 1 (previous: 28°F in 1936; 90 years old)
- Melbourne — Feb. 1, 2026: 25°F Broke daily low for Feb. 1 (previous: 32°F in 1966; 60 years old)
- Vero Beach — Feb. 1, 2026: 26°F Broke daily low for Feb. 1 (previous: 29°F in 1966; 60 years old)
- Apalachicola — Feb. 1, 2026: 20° Broke daily low for Feb. 1 (previous: 26°F in 1977; 49 years old)
If those record lows in Florida don't do enough to illustrate how remarkable the conditions have been, a stunning video might be. On February 2, 2026, CNN published a video highlighting the fact that temperatures had fallen so severely in Florida that iguanas were freezing.
Florida's Bizarre Sky Side Effect: What Are Cloud Streets?
The #ArcticBlast that put much of Florida into a deep freeze also created these mesmerizing #CloudStreets caught by @NOAA's #GOESEast.
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) February 3, 2026
Learn more in our #SatelliteSnapshot: https://t.co/2aMxM9PwnV pic.twitter.com/DvIr8voZwz
While everyone knows that clouds can be beautiful, Florida's "cloud streets" prove how much more amazing the sky can get than most people realize. A February 2026 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration article explains that cold, dry air flowing over warm water can create stunning cloud formations.
"Better known as 'cloud streets,' these formations can develop when cold, dry air flows over relatively warmer water. As the air absorbs heat and moisture from below, rows of long, parallel lines of cumulus clouds form, usually aligned with the wind direction. In the satellite imagery above, a gap of clear skies is visible between the coastline and where the cloud streets begin. That’s due to the time and distance it takes the cold air to pick up the heat and moisture from the water to form clouds."
The scientific explanation aside, the above video from X captures just how striking and unusual these "cloud streets" look when captured in time delay.