Through Saturday most of Florida has felt below normal average temperatures for February but the winter season beginning Dec. 1 has been near normal.

TALLAHASSEE — With farmers caught shorthanded and with crops not ready for harvesting, a pair of winter storms at the beginning and end of January potentially inflicted more than $3.17 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural industry.

Preliminary estimates of losses to Florida agriculture from the recent freezes add up to more than $3 billion.

As NASA highlighted today, a wave of Arctic air recently turned the Gulf of Mexico’s deep azure waters into a shockingly bright blend of blues and greens. The rapid brightening off Florida’s west coast took place across late January and early February amid two massive winter storms named Fern and Gianna.

A bomb cyclone that rapidly intensified off the Eastern Seaboard has driven a dangerous cold outbreak deep into Florida, dropping temperatures at Orlando International Airport to approximately 24 degrees Fahrenheit on February 1,

New winter storm warnings predict a dramatic temperature drop as seven states are facing up to 2 feet of snow and 75+ mph winds.

NASA scientists claim that cold air events made the azure waters of the West Florida Shelf change color.

A Cold Weather Advisory remains in effect through 9 a.m. for much of the region, excluding the immediate coast from southern Brevard as Monday wakeup wind chills are in the upper 20s and low 30s. Behind a cold front now well south of Florida, much colder and significantly drier air continues to pour into the state.