The Midwest and South have had major winter storms for several days, and a giant cyclone forecast in the Atlantic Ocean is expected to pull that cold weather east as a strong blizzard this week. The worst seems headed for the Carolinas, but the Sunshine State is bracing for winter weather.

Florida could experience record cold

Ana Torres-Vazquez, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Miami, said a cold front earlier this week had already caused temperatures to drop, but the region could experience record-setting, freezing temperatures this week.

South Florida residents are less likely to have heavy coats and other winter clothing, so Torres-Vazquez said it’s important to layer up and limit time outside. David Nestler, with Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said frostbite and hypothermia, two health risks that aren’t always top-of-mind among Floridians, are the real concerns when temperatures drop so far.

Meanwhile, visitors from colder climates will have an easier time acclimating to Florida’s version of cold weather. Doug Brubaker said it was minus 20 F (minus 29 C) with a windchill when he left Cleveland, Ohio, on Wednesday.

“Whatever comes of the weekend to me isn’t cold, but I know it’s going to be cold for Florida,” Brubaker said.

Moving north, Tony Hurt, a National Weather Service forecaster for the Tampa Bay area, said there will be a slight chance of rain and snow in that region this weekend, but no accumulations.

The last two times the area had snow were flurries in January 2010 and December 1989. A record 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow fell in January 1977 about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Tampa.

Despite the forecast, Tampa will host the annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest on Saturday. And Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning are scheduled to host the Boston Bruins for a outdoor NHL game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL stadium.

Few tourists will be swimming or relaxing on the beaches this weekend, but many attractions will remain open. Most of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando will operate as normal, although their water parks will be closed. Most state zoos and animal parks will also remain open as rangers take steps to protect residents.

Keeping animals safe and warm

Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said keepers installed heaters and moved reptiles and small mammals indoors, while primates such as chimpanzees and orangutans were given blankets.

Florida’s native wildlife has learned to survive the cold snaps, though there have been casualties, Magill said. Manatees, for example, take decades to accumulate to flow hot water to about a dozen power plants.

But invasive, non-native animals like iguanas and other exotic reptiles the most will suffer. South Florida iguanas hibernate in the cold, and although they usually wake up when the temperature is warm, many die after more than a day of extreme cold.

“I think in South Florida you can see iguanas falling out of trees, I mean a lot, when it gets below 40 degrees,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday at a news conference in Vero Beach. “In some of these places, it happens in the 20s and 30s.”

Protection of plants

Farmers are working to protect their crops during the winter harvest and start spring planting, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association spokeswoman Christina Morton said.

The biggest concern for Florida citrus growers is temperatures below 28 F (minus 2.2 C) for more than four hours – that’s when damage occurs. Trevor Murphy, who owns forests in the state’s interior, said he plans to turn on his irrigation system when the thermometer hits above freezing to create a protective layer of ice on the trees and fog as well, which will help warm the grove.

“We’re about as ready as we can be,” Murphy said Friday. “We’ll see Sunday or Monday what Mother Nature throws up.”

Robert Moehling Jr., whose family has been growing tropical fruit for generations in south Miami-Dade County, said excess water from irrigation runoff can actually do more damage to their crops.

“In our experience over 66 years of farming avocados and mangoes and jackfruit, you leave the water out, there’s a risk of killing some versus destroying everything,” Moehling said.

An arctic blast from Canada also spread south, where thousands of people remained without electricity to heat their homes. A new storm is expected to develop along the East Coast, prompting people in the mid-Atlantic states to prepare for possible blizzard conditions and the Carolinas and neighboring states to prepare for near-blizzard conditions.

Temperatures in hard-hit northern Mississippi will feel as cold as minus 5 F (minus 21 C) when wind is factored in, National Weather Service forecasters said. People in much of the southeastern US are under various alerts warning of very cold weather.

___

Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida contributed to this report.