Cold Enough to Rain Iguana Lizards

I only rarely heard my father curse.  But, when I was a kid, he did commonly use one curious expression that seemed on the verge of swearing.  When the winter weather here in Montana turned bitterly cold, he would say: “It’s colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra.”

I had no idea exactly what he meant.  Cold, for certain.

Apparently, Florida also has a quirky way to express cold weather: “Cold enough for iguanas to fall from the trees.”

A couple days ago, the National Weather Service office in Miami tweeted: “Don’t be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight.”  This tweet preceded nighttime temperatures dropping into the 30s and 40s.

Here in Montana, we would love to see ourselves rising into the 30s and 40s this time of year.   That said, we are not cold-blooded reptiles.  Most of us, I mean.

As temperatures drop into the thirties, the lizards in Florida lapse into a kind of shock and become entirely immobile.  Soon, they begin falling from the trees.  Most will survive the temperatures and the fall.  They will resume normal ways once the morning sun warms them adequately.

Posted is a video of iguanas impacted by Florida’s recent cold snap.

—Mitchell Hegman

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1siOo-PCAg