I just saw something I honestly didn't expect: Florida is experiencing an absolutely extreme cold snap that has left meteorologists speechless. Temperatures are so low that some Florida cities are colder than parts of Alaska, which is practically unbelievable.

Look at the numbers: Orlando woke up at -4 °C while Juneau in Alaska was at 0 °C. That alone gives you an idea of how unusual this event is. But the most shocking thing was what happened in Tampa, where snow was reported on Sunday, February 1, around 4:45 a.m. Snow in Tampa. That's right, snow in a region where it’s historically almost impossible to see.

What’s causing all this is a massive disturbance of the polar vortex that deformed the jet stream, creating a deep trough. Basically, Arctic air directly from Hudson Bay is descending toward the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, an Omega high-pressure block is keeping the West Coast and Alaska unusually warm, which intensifies the contrast.

Specifically in Tampa, the snow phenomenon occurs due to what meteorologists call the Gulf effect. Cold winds pick up moisture from the relatively warmer water (around 10 °C), and when that moisture rises to thousands of feet where the air is between 10 and 6 °C, the instability needed for those snow bursts we saw is formed.

The serious part is that about 20,000 homes and businesses in Florida are without power. With temperatures ranging from -6 °C in the north to 1 °C in the south, many are left without heating in the middle of this extreme cold. Miami recorded 0 °C, its coldest morning since 2010. In other cities like Daytona Beach (-5 °C), Melbourne (-3.8 °C), and Vero Beach (-3.3 °C), historic cold records for February were also broken.

The Weather Service issued warnings for dangerously cold temperatures, strong winds, and rough sea conditions. The initial forecast from Sunday indicated highs of just 7 °C with wind chills as low as -6 °C at dawn. The nights remained freezing with lows of -3 °C and widespread frosts. Only by Tuesday was a slight recovery to 18 °C expected.

Honestly, this is one of those weather events that makes you rethink what you thought was impossible. Florida under this kind of extreme cold is practically science fiction for those familiar with the state.