December 19, 1765: A "white frost" fell in the northern part of the British colony of East Florida "of short duration, and of no material detriment to the agricultural interests.".Snowball fight on the steps of the Florida Capitol, February 1899 Finally, many of the reports below are not "official" National Weather Service reports, many being compiled by the newspapers and media, personal observations, and stories passed down through the years. Additionally, the presence of rime or sleet being mistaken for snowflakes should also be considered. Interpretations of this timeline must therefore be made with caution, as observed patterns may not reflect actual climate-related trends in annual snowfall but rather improved reporting. ĭue to larger populations and more advanced communication networks, snow events are witnessed and reported much more frequently in recent years than in historical eras. Tampa has a record snowfall of 0.2 inches (5.08 mm) which occurred on January 18, 1977. According to the National Weather Service, the record snowfall for the city of Jacksonville is 1.9 inches (4.8 cm), which fell on February 12, 1899. The vast majority of snow events in Florida occurred in north Florida and the Jacksonville area. The earliest recorded instance of snow in Florida occurred in 1774 being unaccustomed to snow, some Jacksonville residents called it "extraordinary white rain." The first White Christmas in northeastern Florida's history resulted from a snow event that occurred on December 23, 1989. Much of the known information on snow in Florida prior to 1900 is from climatological records provided by the National Weather Service meteorological station in Jacksonville, and information for other locations is sparse. The only other areas in the continental United States with this distinction are southern and southeast Texas (around McAllen and Houston) and parts of coastal southern California at low elevations. The mean maximum monthly snowfall in most parts of Florida is zero. While light snowfall occurs a few times each decade across the northern panhandle, most of the state is too far south of the cold continental air masses responsible for generating snowfall in the rest of the country. Generally, for snow to occur, the polar jet stream must move southward through Texas and into the Gulf of Mexico, with a stalled cold front across the southern portion of the state curving northeastward to combine freezing air into the frontal clouds. In general, frost is more common than snow, requiring temperatures of 32 ☏ (0 ☌) or less at 2 m (7 ft) above sea level, a cloudless sky, and a relative humidity of 65% or more. In any event, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach have not seen snow flurries before or since this 1977 event.ĭue to Florida's low latitude and subtropical climate, temperatures low enough to support significant snowfall are infrequent and their duration is fleeting. In Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach there has been only one known report of snow flurries observed in the air in more than 200 years this occurred in January 1977 (though debate exists as to if this was rime or snow). According to the National Weather Service, in the Florida Keys and Key West there is no known occurrence of snow flurries since the European colonization of the region more than 300 years ago. With the exception of the far northern areas of the state, most of the major cities in Florida have never recorded measurable snowfall, though trace amounts have been recorded, or flurries in the air observed few times each century. state of Florida, especially in the central and southern portions of the state. It is very rare for snow to fall in the U.S. Much of the Panhandle experienced significant ice buildup (from freezing rain and sleet) followed by a light snowfall. Ice and snow as seen from an FDOT camera on the Bay Bridge in far northern Florida, following a winter storm on 28–29 January 2014.
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