Earlier this week, the early morning temperature dropped to 60 degrees. In a burst of excitement, Floridians posted on every social media platform that they own so they proclaim their love for this ~fall weather~ because they could finally whip out the flannel. Jeans? Check. Sweaters? Hell yes. I mean, this light breeze can be a bit chilling, especially at night.
This is cold weather in Florida.
I'm as Floridian as it gets, born and raised. I eat pub subs monthly, I have pet a few alligators in my day, and have never seen a white Christmas. It wasn't until I was twenty when I actually saw snow—when I actually experienced what real coldness feels like. I was in Ireland with a half-assed coat; it was so cold that my back cramped up, sending electric shocks throughout my body. I didn't even know this kind of cold existed. I thought I was having a stroke.
I asked my friends who were from Minnesota if this was normal. They made a scoff as bitter as the icy wind and replied, "Imagine this feeling while walking to class." Excuse me? Is that a ring of hell in the Inferno? No wonder northerners make fun of us so much. We are ridiculous when it comes to our "winter."
But, Florida's weather is a completely different beast.
An average summer day is walking out of your house, feeling like the sun is punching you in the face, getting an instant tan, and sweating profusely. Then, you deal with the RANDOM but INTENSE thunderstorms. The thunderstorms are awful, they come unannounced, but are strangely expected.
And, to be honest, the sporadic storms themselves are a bit weird. If you live in Florida, you've seen the paradigm: one half of the sky looks absolutely beautiful, while the other half looks like the straight up apocalypse. There have been times that I have been caught in a terrible storm, cross the street, and it's like I've traveled through space and time because now it's dry and sunny.
There's a reason why trending memes call Florida a "godless place." It's because it's low-key, excuse me, high-key true.
We are in that time of year where we are finally transitioning from this unholy summer weather to our "winter," so we may get a bit overzealous. But can you really blame us? If a "cold front" hits and brings us down from 90 to 50 degrees, you can bet your sunshine state booty that I'm wearing leggings and a scarf.
We have to savor these precious moments. I love leggings. I love flannel. I love beanies. Can I wear these year round? I mean sure if I want a heat stroke. So yeah, if I have even the slightest excuse, I'm going to wear the winter aesthetic clothing that I've been longing for.
Granted, there are some ignorant Floridians that think our "winter" weather is actually cold. Northerners, I can see how this can be annoying, but come to Disney in July. Tell me what you think.
I know, this whole article seems like I'm paying homage to the #justfloridianthings trend. Yes, I am kind of doing that—but I also hope it gives some perspective as to why we all seem to lose our minds when the temperature drops. I mean, it finally doesn't feel like my skin is melting.
