Snow in Florida


It is very rare for snow to fall in the U.S. state of Florida, especially in the central and southern portions of the state. 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. According to the National Weather Service, in the Florida Keys and Key West there is no known occurrence of snow flurries since the settlement of the region. In Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Palm Beach there is only one known report in more than 200 years of snow flurries observed in the air, this occurred on January 1977. In any event, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Palm Beach have not seen snow flurries before or since this 1977 event.
Due to Florida's low latitude and subtropical climate, temperatures cold enough to support significant snowfall are infrequent and their duration is fleeting. In general, frost is more common than snow, requiring temperatures of 32 °F or less at above sea level, a cloudless sky, and a relative humidity of 65% or more. 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. 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. The mean maximum monthly snowfall in most parts of Florida is zero. The only other areas in the continental United States with this distinction are southern and southeast Texas and parts of coastal southern California at low elevations.
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 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.

Events

The vast majority of snow events in Florida occurred in north Florida and the Jacksonville area. According to the National Weather Service, the record snowfall for the city of Jacksonville is 1.9 inches, which fell on February 12, 1899. Tampa has a record snowfall of 0.2 inches which occurred on January 18, 1977.
Due to larger populations and more advanced communication networks, snow events are witnessed and reported much more frequently in recent years than in historical eras. 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. Additionally, the presence of rime or sleet being mistaken for snowflakes should also be considered. 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.

Pre-1900