By ETT Snowfall in the Florida Panhandle: A Historical Perspective
When you think of the Panhandle of Florida, you think of Destin, Pensacola, 30A, and white sandy beaches. On Tuesday, those sandy beaches turned into white SNOWY beaches!
Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday afternoon that Florida could see a record amount of snow in the Panhandle over the next 24 hours as a rare winter storm hits the state.
DeSantis said the forecast calls for 2-4 inches of snow in the hardest-hit areas, but it’s possible there could be localized accumulation of up to 6 inches.
While it’s not the first time North Florida has seen snowflakes fall to the ground, it has been a long while since there has been this much snow.
Historical Snowfall in Florida
It was 32 years ago when, according to the Florida Climate Center, a 1993 “superstorm” produced up to 4 inches of snow along the Florida Panhandle on March 12.
Before that, it was 71 years ago when record snowfall was reported at the Milton Experimental Station. That’s when the all-time 24-hour state record of 4 inches happened on March 6, 1954, in Santa Rosa County.
According to the Florida Times-Union, in December 1989 the following snowfall amounts were recorded in the Jacksonville area:
Jacksonville Naval Air Station: 1″
Jacksonville airport: 0.8″
St. Augustine and Crescent City reported 2 inches of snow on February 2, 1951.
Snowfall in Specific Florida Cities
The Florida Times-Union also reported these fun facts:
Pensacola:
Most recent snowfall in Pensacola: Jan. 28, 2014
Total amount of snowfall: 1″
Has it ever snowed on Christmas? No.
Record snowfall: 2.3″ on Mar. 6, 1954
Tallahassee:
Most recent snowfall in Tallahassee: Jan. 3, 2018
Total amount of snowfall: 0.1″
Has it ever snowed on Christmas? No, although the city did see 1″ of snow Dec. 22-23, 1989
Record snowfall: 2.8″ on Feb. 12-13, 1958
County-by-County Snowfall Records
Alachua: 1.5″ on Jan. 18, 1977
Bradford: 2″ on Jan. 19, 1977
Calhoun: 2″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Clay: 0.1″ on Dec. 30, 1917
Columbia: 1″ on Feb. 15, 1895
Duval: 2.5″ on Dec. 23, 1989
Escambia: 2.3″ on Mar. 6, 1954
Franklin: 1.2″ on Feb. 12, 1958
Gadsden: 2.5″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Gulf: 2.7″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Hamilton: 3″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Hillsborough: 0.2″ on Jan. 19, 1977
Holmes: 0.1″ on Dec. 31, 1917
Jackson: 2.0″ on Feb. 12, 1958
Jefferson: 3.0″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Leon: 2.4″ on Feb. 12, 1958
Liberty: 0.5″ on Dec. 31, 1917
Madison: 1″ on Dec. 23, 1989
Marion: 0.1″ on Jan. 9, 2010
Nassau: 1.5″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Okaloosa: 3.” on Feb. 13, 1958
Pasco: 1″ on Jan. 19, 1977
Putnam: 2″ on Feb. 3, 1951
Santa Rosa: 4″ on Mar. 6, 1954
St. Johns: 2″ on Feb. 3, 1951
Suwannee: 3″ on Dec. 23, 1989
Taylor: 3″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Wakulla: 3″ on Feb. 13, 1958
Walton: 2″ on Feb. 9, 1973
Washington: 2″ on Jan. 31, 1977