The most media-covered damage that occurs in Florida due to cold, tends to be the damage to citrus crops. Florida is famous for its oranges. However, when winter hits, the freezing can be so severe, it splits the fruit on the tree. This spoils the fruit in the warmth of the daylight hours later. Entire crops can be lost due to freezing temperatures on a severe winter night.
As temperatures drop, the water heat can dissipate. Wildlife that is extremely sensitive to temperature changes can be negatively impacted. The rare water manatee that normally flourishes in Florida, can realize population drops as the water gets too cold for the animals. While they have fat, they do not have blubber to fend off cold. Thus loss of water heat can effectively render the manatee vulnerable in their own habitat.
Low temperatures in Florida can dip below the freezing point for fresh water. For Florida's fish farms, this condition can mean disaster. Past freezes are documented to have caused significant fish kills at farms. Ice forms on the top of the ponds, killing off the algae inside. The fish then die-off due to the loss of their food source.
For those not necessarily used to the risks involved with the cold and freezing temperatures, cold snaps in Florida can bring harm and even death. Past reports have included kids walking or snowmobiling on frozen ponds, only to fall into the cold water beneath and drown -- and cases of frostbite or hypothermia.
