It is 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, a 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 European colonization of the region more than 300 years ago. In Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach there has been only one report of snow flurries in the air in more than 200 years; this occurred in January 1977. Due to Florida's low latitude and tropical and humid subtropical climate, temperatures low 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 (0 °C) or less at 2 m (7 ft) above sea level, a cloudless sky, and a relative humidity of 65% or more. Generally, for snow to occur in Florida, 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 of Florida, most of the state is too far south of the cold continental air masses that are 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 (around McAllen and Houston) and parts of coastal Southern California and Southern Arizona 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; information for other locations is sparse. The earliest recorded instance of snow in Florida was 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 snow that fell 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 (4.8 cm), which fell on February 12, 1899. Tampa has a record snowfall of 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) which occurred on January 19, 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 hard rime or ice pellets 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 (21 reported events)
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