By Philip Berkwit
Florida is having a surprisingly cold start to 2025. According to The Weather Channel, “An outbreak of arctic cold is sweeping through the Midwest and East, as well as into the Deep South and this frigid pattern is expected to last into the third week of January.” To be blunt; The Sunshine State is having a very cold winter. Cold Weather Advisories have even been announced for parts of South Florida. According to Central Florida Public Media, “The South and Central Florida regions are expected to see the lowest temperatures in two years.”
Florida is still not likely to see snow though. Snow in Florida is extremely rare. There have been snow flurries from time to time, but there has not been a substantial amount of snow in the state since 2014. According to Yahoo Life, “The last time snow was recorded in Florida was on Jan. 28, 2014, when there was 1 inch of snow in Pensacola.” One of the most famous times snow fell on Florida was in January of 1977 when it snowed in Miami. This incident was the only recorded time in history that snow fell on Miami. According to Elser Hotel, this incident occurred because of ‘A powerful Arctic cold front swept across the southeastern United States, bringing frigid air deep into Florida.”
Although the thought of snow in Florida sounds fun, it isn’t always a great thing for The Sunshine State. According to NBC 6 South Florida, “The 1977 snow caused more than $300 million in agricultural damage in South Florida.”
“On February 13, 1899, the all-time coldest temperature of -2°F was recorded in Tallahassee. This remains the state record.”
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1989 also brought a historic snowstorm to Jacksonville Florida. The storm brought nearly 2 inches of snow to the city and the greater Duval area. The incident even caused roads to freeze. According to The Florida Times-Union, “Traffic comes to a stop on Interstate 95 near Jacksonville’s downtown following a freak snowstorm that left highways and bridges covered in ice and snow on Dec. 23, 1989.” The winter of 1989 was the last time a considerable amount of snow came to Jacksonville.
Florida’s coldest day ever recorded in the state’s entire history was over 100 years ago. According to Yahoo News, “on February 13, 1899, the all-time coldest temperature of -2°F was recorded in Tallahassee. This remains the state record.” This is the only time in history that Florida weather was recorded in negatives.
Although Florida is currently having a record-breaking Winter, some climate data claims that the state is actually getting hotter. Weather Tips Guide stated that “Climate data released in 2021 shows that, across the board, the 30-year average temperature in Florida is climbing — meaning the state is substantially warmer than it was even in just the 1970s or 1980s.”
The hottest day recorded in Florida history dates back to 1931. According to The Florida Historical Society, “The highest recorded temperature in Florida was recorded at Monticello in Jefferson County on this date. The humid subtropical climate of the small town reached a peak of 109 °F / 43 °C.”
In recent times, Florida hasn’t been far off from this temperature. Florida is known for its extreme summers, but cold weather has proven to be hard to deal with in Florida. Most Floridians are not well equipped for the cold, and many houses aren’t even designed with the idea of extremely cold weather in mind. However, cold weather has its benefits too. According to WPTV, “these lower temperatures can bring benefits to some of Florida’s crops. For citrus growers, the cold snap could add some color to their oranges.” Bugs like mosquitoes also become less common during the cold. Summer will still surely make up for this cold season. Early predictions have already suggested that 2025 will be a very hot year, a climate many Floridians are already well reserved in.
Graphic created by Ryder Navarra
