COCOA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — For Santas sailing off the central Florida coast, the Atlantic Ocean felt more like the North Pole than the Sunshine State as temperatures Saturday morning dipped around freezing, while freeze warnings were in effect at to at least half the state.
Parts of the Florida Panhandle had chills that dipped into the single digits Saturday morning, and inland parts of central Florida had temperatures that dropped as low as 27 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2.7 degrees Celsius).
“It’s a cold start to #Christmas for the entire area,” the National Weather Service in Tallahassee wrote.
Malcolm Denmark/Florida Today via AP
Miami was among the last remnants of heat in the United States on Friday, but temperatures dipped below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) Saturday morning for the first time in nearly a year. People in South Florida have seen iguanas fall. The cold-blooded reptiles living in the suburbs of Miami usually freeze when temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius).
Despite freezing temperatures, the 14th Annual Surfing Santas Christmas Festival took place Saturday morning in Cocoa Beach on Florida’s Space Coast.
The event has grown from 10 surfers dressed as Santa Claus when it started in 2009 to hundreds of participants on surfboards, boogie boards and paddle boards in years past. Almost 140 surfers braved the cold water on Saturday morning. Nearly 10,000 spectators turned out to cheer them on, and a restaurant on the beach handed out free hot chocolate to warm them up, according to organizers.
I’m a passionate and motivated journalist with a focus on world news. My experience spans across various media outlets, including Buna Times where I serve as an author. Over the years, I have become well-versed in researching and reporting on global topics, ranging from international politics to current events.