A dystopian-like mist has cocooned South Florida this week as Arctic air oozes down the Peninsula.

Overnight Friday, Jan. 24, into Saturday is forecast to be the coolest period of this cold snap in South Florida, and the National Weather Service Miami Meteorologist in Charge Robert Molleda said cold weather advisories may be issued for the overnight hours on Friday, Jan. 24. Advisories are issued when you have a wind-chill or "feels like" temperature of 35 degrees or lower for at least three hours.

But could the dip in mercury readings be enough to 'freeze' South Florida's invasive green iguana?

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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said iguanas can become immobilized or sluggish when temperatures hit between 40 and 50 degrees. Longer cold snaps with overcast skies that prevent basking for warmth can be deadly as the paralyzed iguanas become easy prey to vultures, bobcats and coyotes.

Also, when the lizards are immobilized by the cold, their digestive systems sour and they die from bacterial infections. Iguanas that fall from trees onto streets are also in danger of becoming road kill.

The last significant die-off of iguanas caused by cold weather occurred during the winter of 2010 when between Jan. 2 and Jan. 13, West Palm Beach's overnight lows dipped into the 30s nine times.

For Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, it was the coldest 12-day period since at least 1940, according to the National Weather Service. By the end of February, the NWS declared 2010 the coldest winter for South Florida in three decades.

Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to [email protected]. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Iguanas in Florida: Frozen, falling from trees due to cold weather