Florida. Why iguanas will rain from the Miami sky at Christmas

Florida residents are used to extreme weather events. They suffer from hurricanes in summer and … frozen iguana rains in winter.

This Monday, Miami meteorologists predicted a cold Christmas for Floridians, who will have to ditch their uniform of shorts and flip flops when temperatures drop to 4 ° C – considerably colder than the 22-18 ° C of an average winter.

But dusting off the only sweater from the bottom of the closet is not the only meteorological tragedy to occur in this subtropical state of the United States. You will also have to take care that a frozen iguana does not fall on the head of a walker.

“Brrr! Very cold temperatures are expected for Christmas, between 0 and 4 ° C, with the possibility of iguanas falling. Stay alert and warm!” The Miami office of the National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted.

When the temperature drops below 4 ° C, the iguanas, which are cold-blooded, become immobile and can fall from trees, according to the NWS.

But reptiles don’t freeze to death. They reactivate once the temperature rises, just like the human residents of Florida.

However, it is not a minor danger, considering that the population of iguanas in Florida is so high that local authorities asked Floridians last year to kill them, although “humanely” if possible.

In 2018, the copious “rain” of frozen iguanas that occurred during a cold wave caught the population by surprise.

Some tried to warm them with blankets or take them to their homes or their cars, something that the authorities strongly discourage because, when they thaw, they try to defend themselves and can be aggressive.

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