Extreme Cold in Florida, January 9, 2002

Name: Extreme Cold in Florida, January 9, 2002
Start: 2002-01-09T00:00
End: 2002-01-09T10:00
Location: Florida

January 9, 2002 · NWS MFL · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A light to moderate frost occurred over interior sections of south Florida. Some very minor damage was reported to vegetable and other tender crops.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.

A light to moderate frost occurred over interior sections of south Florida. Some very minor damage was reported to vegetable and other tender crops.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 8, 8:55 PM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 8, 8:55 PM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
855 PM EST TUE JAN 8 2002

CLEAR SKIES COVER ENTIRE AREA THIS EVENING WITH ONLY CLOUD COVER OF
NOTE OVER NEARBY GULF AND ATLANTIC WATERS. MAIN CONCERN TONIGHT
CONTINUES TO BE COLD TEMPERATURES. AT THE PRESENT
TIME...TEMPERATURES RUNNING VERY CLOSE TO THE MAV GUIDANCE NUMBERS.
WINDS HAVE DROPPED OFF TO LIGHT ALONG WEST COAST AND INTERIOR...BUT
STILL RUNNING CLOSE TO 10 MPH ALONG THE EAST COAST. TEMPERATURES
DROPPED PRETTY SHARPLY AT SOME INTERIOR STATIONS SHORTLY AFTER
SUNSET...MOST NOTICEABLE AT BELLE GLADE FAWN STATION. TEMPERATURES
HAVE LEVELED OFF OR EVEN RISEN A DEGREE OR TWO SINCE THEN AS DEW
POINTS HAVE RECOVERED TO MID TO UPPER 30S. BASED ON ALL THIS...NOT
PLANNING CHANGING ZONES AT THIS TIME WITH AREAS OF FROST MOST AREAS
EXCEPT ALONG IMMEDIATE COAST AND NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES AT
NORMALLY COLDER LOCATIONS. ONLY MINOR CHANGES PLANNED FOR COASTAL
WATERS.

.MIAMI...FIRE WEATHER WATCH ALL ZONES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 8, 9:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-090900-

SOUTH FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
930 PM EST TUE JAN 8 2002

...WIDESPREAD FROST TONIGHT INTERIOR SOUTH FLORIDA...
...ELEVATED FIRE DANGER ALL AREAS TUESDAY...

A VERY COOL...DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS WILL BE WELL ESTABLISHED ACROSS
SOUTH FLORIDA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE RESULTING CLEAR SKIES AND
DIMINISHING WINDS OVERNIGHT TONIGHT WILL SET THE STAGE FOR STRONG
RADIATIONAL COOLING. FROST WILL LIKELY DEVELOP OVER MUCH OF INTERIOR
SOUTH FLORIDA. AREAS MOST LIKELY TO SEE FROST TONIGHT WILL BE
GLADES...HENDRY...WESTERN PALM BEACH AND EASTERN COLLIER COUNTIES.
PATCHY FROST WILL ALSO DEVELOP OVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH
FLORIDA...EXCEPT FOR THE EASTERN METRO AREAS OF PALM BEACH...BROWARD
AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES. IN THESE COUNTIES TEMPERATURES WILL FALL
LOW ENOUGH FOR PATCHY FROST MAINLY NEAR AND WEST OF THE FLORIDA
TURNPIKE IN PALM BEACH COUNTY...THE SAWGRASS EXPRESSWAY AND I-75 IN
BROWARD COUNTY...KROME AVENUE IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.

THE DRY AIRMASS WILL ALSO RESULT IN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER ACROSS
SOUTH FLORIDA ON WEDNESDAY.

NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTH
FLORIDA...AND SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
MIAMI WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MIA.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Glades

When: January 9, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Glades forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 26.957, -81.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hendry

When: January 9, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Hendry forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 26.554, -81.166 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Inland Collier

When: January 9, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Inland Collier forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 26.099, -81.381 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Inland Palm Beach

When: January 9, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Inland Palm Beach forecast zone
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 26.648, -80.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, January 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5277285, 5277286, 5277287, 5277288.