Local officials urge residents to prepare homes, pets for cold front making its way through South Florida – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – South Florida’s temperatures are taking a tumble into the 40s and 50s as a cold front moves through our area, and local officials are urging residents to be prepared.

A cold weather advisory will be in place for most of South Florida from 3 a.m.- 9 a.m. Friday. The wind chill is expected to drop to as low as 30 degrees.

Residents can expect widespread 40s across Broward County and Miami-Dade, expected as forecast lows, while the Florida Keys are looking at the low 50s.

Many residents will be using space heaters during the cold hours, and the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department wants to advise people to stay safe when keeping warm.

“A lot of South Floridians turn to space heaters. When utilizing your space heater, it’s very important to make sure it’s three feet away from everything, especially your bedsheets, curtains, carpets, things of that nature,” said FLFR Chief Stephen Gollan.

Gollan also says the space heaters should be plugged into the wall, not an extender.

“We also want to make sure that it’s plugged in directly into the wall. You don’t want to use an extension cord and take it into another area. Finally, you don’t want to leave it unsupervised,” he said.

It’s also important that space heaters be rated for indoor use and that alternative heat sources be avoided.

“If you are purchasing a space heater for the cold weather, it’s very important to have the UL listing on the bottom. This listing means that it has all the safety features in there, so if it were to be knocked over or overheated, it would shut off,” said Gollan.

The cold weather will not only impact people, but also their pets.

“The other consideration is for your pets. If it’s cold for us, it’s cold for them,” said Gollan.

Officials at the Humane Society for Broward County say that if the pets cannot come indoors, they should have some shelter with warm bedding.

“For those dogs that have a thinner coat or a coat that’s not really thick, those are the dogs that you’re going to want to make sure are warm,” said Cherie Wachter with Humane Society of Broward. “The safest place for your pets when it gets cold is inside the house.”

And for those plants and crops, experts say there’s not much to worry about.

“They’ll be fine as long as there’s not a big wind,” said Lisa Roth with Bob Roth’s New River Groves.

Roth said gardeners and other plant enthusiasts should not worry about their trees as long as they water them ahead of the chill.

“It may affect citrus in central Florida if the temperatures go below 27 to 32 degrees.

First responders also want to remind residents that it is normal to smell burning when switching from central air to the heat function. They say it’s because the dust on your heating coils is burning off.

They are advised to call 911 if smoke appears or if the smell doesn’t dissipate after a few minutes.

Overall, as the cold air swoops in for the next few days, South Floridians will be able to enjoy its brief taste of winter.

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