Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 3 to 5, 2012

Name: Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 3 to 5, 2012
Start: 2012-01-03T21:00
End: 2012-01-05T08:30
Location: Florida

January 3 to 5, 2012 · NWS MFL · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An arctic cold front moved through South Florida on the night of January 2nd, followed by the coldest air of the winter season.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: $300,000
Events: 5

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.

An arctic cold front moved through South Florida on the night of January 2nd, followed by the coldest air of the winter season.

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 3, 6:42 PM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 6:42 PM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 3, 3:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.

Frost/Freeze, Inland Collier County

When: January 3, 9:00 PM EST to January 5, 7:30 AM EST
Where: Inland Collier County forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 26.099, -81.381 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures dropped to below freezing for up to 11 hours over parts of interior Collier County on the night of January 3rd and morning of January 4th, and again for two hours on the morning of January 5th. Damage to crops mostly to vegetables with little impact on citrus. Total damage estimates for Collier County included in the totals for Hendry County.

Frost/Freeze, Glades

When: January 3, 9:45 PM EST to January 5, 8:30 AM EST
Where: Glades forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 26.957, -81.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures dropped to below freezing for up to 10 hours over parts of Glades County on the night of January 3rd and morning of January 4th, and again for four hours on the morning of January 5th. Damage to crops mostly to vegetables with little impact on citrus. Damage total included in Hendry County summary.

Frost/Freeze, Inland Miami-Dade

When: January 3, 10:00 PM EST to January 4, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Inland Miami-Dade forecast zone
Crop damage: $100,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 25.609, -80.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures dropped to the freezing mark over parts of inland Miami-Dade County on the night of January 3rd and early morning of January 4th, with temperatures at these values for 2-4 hours. Areas most affected were the Redland and Homestead areas. Damage to most sensitive crops (beans, herbs, squash, asian vegetables) was about 15-20%. A few wind-protected fields suffered near-total losses.

Frost/Freeze, Hendry

When: January 3, 10:45 PM EST to January 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Hendry forecast zone
Crop damage: $200,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 26.554, -81.166 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures dropped to below freezing for up to 9 hours over parts of Hendry County on the night of January 3rd and morning of January 4th, and again for two to four hours on the morning of January 5th. Damage to crops mostly to vegetables with little impact on citrus.

Frost/Freeze, Inland Palm Beach County

When: January 4, 12:00 AM EST to 7:45 AM EST
Where: Inland Palm Beach County forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 26.648, -80.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures dropped to below freezing for 8 to 10 hours over parts of western Palm Beach County on the night of January 3rd and morning of January 4th. Damage to crops mostly to vegetables with little impact on citrus.

What these are

Frost/Freeze: Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, January 2012

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: 362481, 362479, 363408, 362480, 362483.