The reptiles, an endangered species, were incapacitated when the water temperature plummeted after a rare winter storm hit the Panhandle last week.

"Wow," whose unusual name stemmed from rescuers' reaction upon spotting her, underwent a series of successful surgeries at the Turtle Hospital.

If the temperature stays too low, the turtles can drown and die. They’re also vulnerable to predators while lethargic. Over the course of the week, groups and agencies like the Texas State Aquarium,

On Florida’s east coast, offshore Nassau and Volusia counties, an ongoing cold-stunning event has harmed about 120 green sea turtles so far. While that’s far fewer than the hundreds rescued off the Panhandle, it’s the most stressed turtles the state has documented in Northeast Florida, according to the wildlife agency.

An arctic blast that brought a rare snowfall to northern Florida last week left green sea turtles as far south as St. Augustine suffering from a condition known as cold stunning.

Sea Turtle Hospital at UF Whitney Lab cares for green sea turtles in double digits as they wash up on beaches cold-stunned and critically ill.

It is always rewarding to return sea turtles to the ocean where they belong,” said Adam Kennedy, director of rescue and rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium.