Florida braced for the most severe winter weather since 1989 on Tuesday, with airports closed and officials urging residents in the western Panhandle to stay off the roads.
There were widespread reports of 5 to 12 inches of snow in the Pensacola area Tuesday evening, prompting police to close approximately 110 miles of Interstate 10.
National Weather Service offices along the route issued rare winter storm warnings for counties from Pensacola to Jacksonville, warning of snow and ice accumulations that could pose travel hazards.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency on Monday ahead of the winter disruptions, saying the winter disruptions could be record-breaking for communities in the Panhandle.
The Sunshine State's all-time snowfall was 4 inches in the Pensacola suburb of Milton on March 6, 1954, but the Pensacola-area tally surpassed that on Tuesday.
“I don't need to tell anyone that here in Florida, we're not necessarily used to walking through a winter wonderland,” DeSantis said at a news conference at the state's Emergency Operations Center. Ta.
Power companies along Interstate 10 were bracing for weather-related power outages likely to occur if significant ice falls.
Parts of Interstate 10 were closed in Florida due to snow.
FOX Weather meteorologist Steve Bender was in Tallahassee on Tuesday waiting for liquid precipitation to turn into freezing rain and snow.
The capital looked like a ghost town, with residents unwilling to take the storm for granted, especially after an active hurricane season in the region.
Snow piles up in western Panhandle
The heaviest snowfall in the Sunshine State was around Pensacola, where observers reported 5 to 12 inches of snow by Tuesday evening.
Approximately 110 miles of Interstate 10 have been closed by the Florida Highway Patrol due to dangerous weather and a series of crashes.
Emergency officials said they had pre-treated some roads, but efforts appeared inadequate ahead of the winter storm.
More than 7.6 inches of rain officially fell in Pensacola, while nearby Milton saw about 8.8 inches, according to the NWS.
NWS meteorologists in Tallahassee say it will take several days to review all the snowfall reports and determine whether the Sunshine State's snowiest city on record surpasses the Pensacola metro.
Increase in delays and cancellations
Most school districts between Jacksonville and Pensacola canceled classes Wednesday, including major universities such as Florida State University, FAMU, University of North Florida and University of Florida Gainesville.
All flights to and from Tallahassee International Airport were canceled as of 3 p.m. Tuesday and resumed operations by noon Wednesday.
Similar cancellations were planned at Jacksonville International Airport, with the last departing flight scheduled to depart around 8 p.m., with flight operations expected to return to normal by noon Wednesday.
Any type of precipitation freezing can be a problem for the region, as communities lack the necessary equipment such as processing trucks and snow plows to keep roads and airports away from hazardous travel conditions. .
Naval Air Station Pensacola's main gate was closed to both inbound and outbound traffic Tuesday afternoon due to a mix of winter precipitation from the west.
Biggest winter storm threat in Florida since 1989
In North Florida and many other cities in the Southeast, the 1989 Christmas week snowstorm holds many records and serves as the benchmark for all other winter precipitation events.
The historic storm system developed on December 22 and then moved across the Sunshine State and off the Atlantic coast.
Wilmington, North Carolina, reported seeing 15 inches of snow, and Jacksonville, Florida, reported nearly 2 inches of snow.
A general band of 1 to 4 inches of snow was moving north along the Interstate 10 corridor from Tallahassee and Florida's Big Bend to Jacksonville.
The freezing weather event caused widespread power outages and severe crop damage as arctic temperatures battered the region for several days, according to the NWS.
