On Tuesday, Florida took precautions for its most serious winter weather since 1989. Airports were closed, and officials advised residents in the western Panhandle to avoid driving.
On Tuesday evening, there were reports of 5-12 inches of snow in the Pensacola area. As a result, troopers closed a portion of Interstate 10 that was about 70 miles long.
The National Weather Service offices along the corridor issued a rare Winter Storm Warning for counties from Pensacola to Jacksonville, warning of snow and ice accumulations that could make travel dangerous.
On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the impending winter storm. He also stated that the storm could potentially break records in the Panhandle region.
On March 6, 1954, Milton, which is located outside of Pensacola, experienced the largest snowfall in the history of the Sunshine State, which was 4 inches. However, this record was surpassed on Tuesday by the measures near Pensacola.
DeSantis stated during a news briefing at the state’s emergency operations center, “I don’t have to tell anybody that we are not necessarily used to walking in a winter wonderland here in Florida.”
Utility providers along the I-10 corridor were getting ready for disruptions caused by the weather, which would probably happen if a large amount of ice fell.
The capital city looked like a ghost town since the people who lived there were not willing to take the storm lightly, especially after the region had just experienced an active hurricane season.
There is a lot of snow in the western Panhandle
Spotters claimed that the heaviest snowfall in the Sunshine State, which happened around Pensacola, measured between 5 and 12 inches through Tuesday evening.
The Florida Highway Patrol closed a stretch of Interstate 10 that was almost 70 miles long because of dangerous weather and a number of accidents.
According to emergency personnel, they had pre-treated portions of the roads, but their efforts did not seem to be enough in advance of the significant winter storm.
The National Weather Service reports that Pensacola received more than 7.6 inches of rain, while Milton, which is close by, received roughly 8.8 inches.
The meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Tallahassee said that it will take a few days to confirm all of the snowfall reports and find out if any city in Florida received more snow than the Pensacola metro area, which holds the record for the greatest snow measurement in the state.
Florida is facing the most serious winter storm danger since 1989
The Christmas week snowfall of 1989, which affected North Florida and many other cities in the Southeast, maintains numerous records and serves as a standard for all other winter precipitation storms.
The historic storm system formed on December 22 and then traveled throughout the Sunshine State and off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
Wilmington, North Carolina, reported 15 inches of snow, while Jacksonville, Florida, reported almost 2 inches.
PFAS Contamination Hits 300 Sites in Michigan, Including Former Wayne County Landfill
The Interstate 10 corridor, which runs from Tallahassee and Florida’s Big Bend to Jacksonville and points north, typically received between 1 and 4 inches of snow.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said that the frozen weather phenomenon caused extensive power disruptions and significant agricultural damage as frigid temperatures affected the area for several days.
