VERO BEACH — A cold snap brought in by Arctic air led Vero Beach to break three cold weather records on Sunday, and a fourth on Monday, meteorologists said. Weather experts issued advisories for cold weather and a freeze warning, in effect from Monday night through Tuesday morning.
Many residents venturing out put on large coats, hats and gloves as Arctic air breezed in throughout the weekend, bringing low temperatures of 20 degrees. Wind chills dipped as low as 10 degrees.
While other parts of Florida reported seeing light snow and flurries, Vero Beach instead had frost and icicles.
On Monday morning, Vero Beach had a low temperature of 27 degrees, beating the previous daily cold weather record of 34 degrees last set in 1979, said Tim Sedlock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne. Vero Beach broke another daily cold weather record on Sunday morning which had a low of 26 degrees, exceeding the old record-setting temperature of 29 degrees last set in 1966.
The low temperature of 26 degrees on Sunday also set a new record low temperature for the month of February. The previous monthly cold weather record was 28 degrees last set on Feb. 24, 1989, Sedlock said.
Meteorologists said Sunday broke the daily record for the cool maximum temperature at 47 degrees. The old cool maximum temperature record was 56 degrees last set on the same day in 1966, Sedlock said.
The Arctic air hasn’t quite left Vero Beach yet.
A cold weather advisory, along with a freeze warning, will both go into effect from 11 p.m. Monday through 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to meteorologists.
Monday night will have a low temperature near 34 degrees with wind chill values in the middle-to-upper 20s. Tuesday morning will be mostly sunny with a high near 65 degrees and wind chill values near 35 degrees, weather experts said.
Tuesday night will have a low near 46 degrees.
Wednesday will have a high near 73 degrees, which will fall to 48 degrees in the evening. Thursday and Friday will have highs near the mid-60s, which will fall to the lower 40s at night, meteorologists said.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
