Watch out for falling iguanas! Weather service issues alert for southern Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The north has blizzards, the Midwest has tornadoes. And South Florida has the danger of being hit on the head by a frozen iguana.

The National Weather Service tweeted a warning Tuesday that unusually cold weather could cause green iguanas to drop to the ground all over South Florida’s neighborhoods.

Temperatures falling into the 40s along the coast and the 30s inland could immobilize iguanas, a phenomenon that has previously caused the reptiles to plop onto lawns and patios from Miami to Stuart.

The iguanas will just be immobilized, not dead, although the distance of the fall may not do them any favors.

Native to South America, Central America and the Caribbean, they arrived in South Florida through the pet trade. Through escapes and releases, they established thriving populations in South Florida neighborhoods, where the temperatures are usually pretty warm.