A rhinoceros iguana is seen at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 10, 2017. Bangkok's Dusit Zoo on Thursday unveiled two male rhinoceros iguanas which it received from the Singapore Zoo as a gift. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

Known for its warm, balmy winters, Florida is expecting an unusually chilly Christmas, and with that comes a phenomenon peculiar to the Sunshine State: falling iguanas.

That means residents of southern Florida will have to swap their shorts and tee shirts for warmer attire for a few days and keep an eye on the sky for frozen reptiles falling from the palm trees.

When the temperature drops to 4 C and below, the cold-blooded lizards are immobilized and fall from the trees they live in, weather forecasters said.

The creatures do not die from the cold, but simply remain unable to move until the temperatures rise again.

In 2018, the southeastern state already experienced iguana showers in a cold snap, astounding the population.

AFP