National Weather Service accurately forecasts iguanas falling from trees
Weather prediction has become increasingly excellent. For example, the National Weather Service forecast, with astonishing accuracy, rainfall totals from Hurricane Florence five days in advance.
And the weather agency can forecast falling iguanas, too.
On Tuesday afternoon the National Weather Service office in Miami tweeted "...don't be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr!" Chilly temperatures often temporarily stun cold-blooded iguanas, meaning the ubiquitous southern Florida reptiles fall from trees.
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The forecast was spot on. Denizens of South Florida found knocked-out iguanas around the region.
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A mass of cold air, called a cold front, had moved into South Florida. It was chilly, but it didn't nearly break any records. Even with a low of 40° [Fahrenheit], we were 11° shy of breaking the record low for the date...so nothing too crazy," Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, said over email.
"However, you have to go back to December 2010 to find a colder temperature," he added.
McNoldy didn't yet spot any knocked-out iguanas. But these folks, including local journalists, reported finding them:
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As always, it's important to remember that weather is not climate. Although cold snaps are pretty common events in the U.S., it's the long-term trends that really matter when assessing the changing climate. With a warming globe, high temperature records now absolutely dominate low temperatures records.
As McNoldly recently tweeted on New Year's Eve, 2019 tied 2015 and 2017 for the hottest year in Miami's recorded history. Florida's temperatures overall, were rated as "Much Above Average" in 2019 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Overall, Earth experienced its second-hottest year on record in 2019.
Topics Animals
Mark was the science editor at Mashable. After working as a ranger with the National Park Service, he started a reporting career after seeing the extraordinary value in educating people about the happenings on Earth, and beyond.
He's descended 2,500 feet into the ocean depths in search of the sixgill shark, ventured into the halls of top R&D laboratories, and interviewed some of the most fascinating scientists in the world.
