AccuWeather® Global Weather Center — A deep freeze gripping much of the eastern half of the nation has brought disruptive and costly impacts to Florida, including frozen and burst pipes, as well …
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AccuWeather® Global Weather Center — A deep freeze gripping much of the eastern half of the nation has brought disruptive and costly impacts to Florida, including frozen and burst pipes, as well as damage to some citrus crops.
“This recent freeze may have destroyed or severely damaged 8 to 10 percent of the current citrus crop on the trees. We will learn more about the extent of the damage as the citrus groves are assessed in the coming days,” AccuWeather Founder and Executive Chair Dr. Joel N. Myers said. “Temperatures dropped into the mid-20s, with lows of 23 to 24 degrees reported in some orange groves. Damage can set in when temperatures fall to 28 degrees or lower for four consecutive hours.”
Most orange groves in Florida are located east of Tampa and south of Orlando. Freeze damage has also been reported to some winter vegetables, strawberries, blueberries, peppers, leafy greens, and other crops grown in the same region.
AccuWeather expert meteorologists say the worst of the freeze damage and impacts occurred over the weekend. Gusty winds, especially Saturday, Jan. 31, may have increased the risk of freeze damage at some groves across Florida.
“Wind gusts reaching 20 to 25 miles per hour on Saturday night made it feel even colder. Gusty winds can increase the risk of damage several different ways, including subfreezing air accelerating heat loss from the crop. The effective temperature was likely two degrees lower than the actual reading,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. “Any estimates based solely on recorded temperatures may underestimate the true extent of the damage.”
The frigid air surged all the way into South Florida where the low temperature early Sunday morning, Feb. 1, fell to 35 degrees, setting a new daily record. The all-time record low temperature in Miami is 29 set on Feb.14, 1899. Importantly, during this cold wave, early Sunday morning the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature, fell to 24 degrees.
The AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature is the best representation of how the air feels by using multiple factors including the temperature, humidity, cloud cover, sun intensity, and wind to explain how cold it feels outside.
According to AccuWeather DataSuite, the most complete and comprehensive collection of weather and weather-derived datasets available, the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature of 24 degrees in Miami is tied for the lowest value in Miami going back to 1990. The AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature was also 24 degrees in the early morning of January 10, 2010.
Freezing temperatures impacted some groves Sunday night, Feb. 1 and Monday night, Feb. 2, bringing damaging conditions to some citrus- and crop-growing areas for three consecutive nights.
The temperature in Melbourne, Florida, reached 29 degrees early Tuesday morning. Temperatures in the mid-20s were reported in some citrus-growing areas overnight Monday into Tuesday morning.
AccuWeather expert meteorologists say the bomb cyclone that rapidly intensified well off the United States East Coast over the weekend played a key role in directing a fresh surge of bitter cold deep into Florida. Additionally, snow and ice on the ground from recent winter storms across parts of the central and southeast U.S. contributed to bitterly cold air reaching groves across Florida over the weekend.
“The snow coverage built up across the southern Appalachians and Carolinas allowed cold air flowing over this region to stay fresh with less modification by the time it reached Florida,” Porter explained.
This bitter cold stretch is the latest economic and production setback for many citrus growers across Florida. Some groves were damaged by destructive winds from Hurricane Ian in 2022. Other groves have been hit hard by citrus greening disease and other economic pressures in recent decades.
“The amount of oranges grown and produced in Florida is already significantly reduced, down to 10 to 12 million boxes as compared to past decades. That is a major drop from what used to be 20 times that amount back in the 1970s and early 1980s, before several devastating freezes, disease outbreaks, bouts of drought, and growing competition from Brazil diminished the prominence of Florida’s citrus industry,” Porter said.
Ongoing drought conditions across Florida may have compounded the damaging impacts from the recent freezing conditions.
“Conditions have become incredibly dry across Florida starting in mid-December,” Porter said. “Many of the citrus groves in Florida have been dealing with moderate to severe drought conditions. That extra stress on the trees can make them more vulnerable to damage from the cold.
Despite the recent cold weather impacts in Florida, orange and orange juice prices are not expected to rise significantly.
“The freeze is unlikely to trigger a major increase in grocery store prices, as long as sufficient supply remains available from other global producers such as Brazil and Mexico, as well as other states such as California,” Porter said. “This deep freeze is a significant setback for some Florida orange growers, even if those impacts are not reflected in a significant way at the checkout line.”
Impacts from the deep freeze and the bomb cyclone over the weekend resulted in a total damage and economic loss of $13 billion to $15 billion, according to a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather experts.
When will it warm up in Florida?
AccuWeather long-range experts say there are two additional rounds of cold air that may impact some Florida citrus groves over the next two weeks.
“Colder air will return to Florida toward the end of the week. There is a 10 percent chance that temperatures could drop to 27 degrees or lower in some citrus growing areas Thursday night into Friday morning,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said. “Another push of cold air is expected to surge into Florida from Sunday into Monday. There is a 10 percent chance that temperatures will drop to 27 degrees or lower in some citrus groves.”
AccuWeather long-range experts say warmer conditions are expected for citrus-growing areas across Florida starting later next week.
Persistent drought conditions and rainfall below the historical average this spring could elevate the risk of wildfires across Florida, according to the AccuWeather 2026 US Spring Forecast.
