Winter wear was beachwear as cold temperatures invaded Miami Beach.
January 4th, 2012 12:23 PM ET
Mark down January 4 as one strange day for weather in the United States. The extremes were topsy-turvy.
While Floridians were experiencing record low temperatures, Montanans were seeing record highs that are normal for April or October. Forecast highs in the upper 50s in Montana were expected to break records in Lewistown, Great Falls, Harve and a handful of other places, according to the National Weather Service.
Similar highs were forecast Wednesday for large portions of Florida. Overnight, record lows were set in Alma at 19 degrees (breaking record of 20 set in 2001) and Gainesville, 20 degrees (breaking record of 22 set in 1900). Record lows were tied in Jacksonville, 22 degrees (set in 1887), Tallahassee, 18 degrees (set in 1928), and Appalachicola, 26 degrees (set in 2010).
In Homestead in South Florida, farmers scrambled to protect crops from the damaging cold overnight,
CNN affiliate WSVN-TV reported. On Wednesday, they were assessing any possible damage.
"It's not as bad as it could've been. There's still some damage - the extent we don't know yet. With freezes, it's a little difficult. It might take a day or two to really see the effects of it," Miami-Dade Agricultural Manager Charles Lapradd told the station.
In Louisiana, a flood warning was in effect for St. Mary Parish. “Do not drive cars through flooded areas. Remember … two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including pickups. Turn around and don’t drown,” the weather service said.
Wednesday's extremes extend beyond the contiguous 48 states, too. Forecasters in Hawaii issued a high surf warning, with wave heights on north-facing shores of the islands expected to hit 25 to 35 feet through Thursday morning. West-facing shores could see wave heights of 15 to 25 feet, forecasters said.
Meanwhile in southern Alaska, the weather service warned of dangerous winds with sustained speeds of 35 to 55 mph and gusts up to 85 mph, the strength seen in a Category 1 hurricane.
One thing that's not unexpected is frigid temperatures in Alaska in January, and Bethel, Alaska, near the state's west coast was fulfilling expectations on Wednesday, with a forecast high of 15 below to 20 below zero and wind chills as low as 50 below zero, the weather service said.
Day Of Extremes In U.S. Weather
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