A blast of cold weather has arrived in the Sunshine State, and it could bring falling iguanas.

The state was so cold that Denver, Colorado; Great Falls, Montana; and Juneau, Alaska, were all warmer than Jacksonville and Tallahassee early Wednesday morning.

Temperatures at 5 a.m. in the state ranged from 32 in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, 33 in Pensacola, 37 in Melbourne and Naples, to 41 in West Palm Beach. Key West was a balmy 53.

Wind chills are making it feel even colder. Most of Florida was experiencing feel-like temperatures in the 20s early Wednesday morning.

Currently, our weather instruments at the airport in Brooksville are reporting the same temperature as the weather instruments maintained by @NWSGreatFalls at the airport there. Take that people who say it doesn't get cold in Florida #flwx pic.twitter.com/z6KXFQmZPe

— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) January 21, 2020

Iguanas cold-stunned, but probably not dead

Snow in Florida: Historic photos of snowfall in the Sunshine State

Just how cold is it? The National Weather Service in both Miami and Key West warned residents to not be surprised if they spotted iguanas falling from trees as temperatures drop into the 30s and 40s.

Jan 21 - This isn't something we usually forecast, but don't be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr! #flwx #miami pic.twitter.com/rsbzNMgO01

— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) January 21, 2020

Frost was expected before 8 a.m. in Tallahassee.

Wind chill advisories were issued for the entire state until later this morning. Wind chills at 6:30 a.m. ranged from 21 in Panama City to 36 in Naples.

POLAR VORTEX STRIKES AGAIN

The blast of cold air was the result of a stretching of the polar vortex, according to AccuWeather.com.

A polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, which sits over the polar region during the winter season.

The frigid air can find its way into the United States when the polar vortex is pushed farther south.

Did it even get cold in Florida if you didn't compare current temperatures with Montana?



Forgive us, when it's below 40 we don't know what to do with ourselves :)@NWSGreatFalls pic.twitter.com/nQ48MXxDPo

— NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) January 22, 2020

The coldest night is likely to be Tuesday night into Wednesday morning over much of the region. Actual low temperatures were forecast to range from the middle teens over the southern Appalachians to near 50 in the Florida Keys.

"Temperatures may get down to within a few degrees of freezing just east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, from late Tuesday night to Wednesday morning," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said.

A storm east of Florida is helping funnel cold air south through the state.

Storm off southeast coast locking Florida into some really COLD WIND CHILLS this morning. pic.twitter.com/r3DobfPIz1

— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) January 22, 2020

"While this storm will cause a cold wind to stir, especially along the immediate Atlantic coast, there is some risk that winds diminish for a time at night to allow cold air to collect and produce a frost or freeze in the central and western parts of the Florida Peninsula," according to Kottlowski.

CHILL COULD AFFECT YOUNG PLANTS

The chill, coming after abnormally warm temperatures, could affect young plants and new leaves.

Last week, strawberries were being harvested in Hillsborough County near Tampa, according to a recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Spring leaf out has arrived in the Southeast, over three weeks earlier than a long-term average (1981-2010) in some locations. Austin, TX is 10 days early, Jackson, MS & Charleston, SC are 17 days early, and Wilmington, NC is 22 days early. https://t.co/L9jL3gnkIr pic.twitter.com/6KJSNMoFir

— USA National Phenology Network (@USANPN) January 21, 2020

The report states that a wide range of fruits and vegetables were planted over the past couple of weeks.

These tender crops could be at risk during the upcoming cold nights.

The unusual warmth has leaves emerging much earlier than average in the Deep South. The small, tender leaves could be damaged.

THE CHILL WON“T LAST LONG

After a very chilly Wednesday morning, temperatures will rise quickly, with highs today in North Florida in the mid 50s. By the weekend, temperatures are forecast to be in 60s.

In Central Florida, today's highs were forecast to reach the mid 60s, with weekend temperatures hovering around 70.

In South Florida and the Keys, temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 60s later today, and into the 70s by the weekend.