By Kirk McCarley
Folks are attracted to Florida for a variety of reasons. Beaches, amusement parks, a positive business and living environment, and favorable year-round weather head the list.
Though our weather is for the most part tropical in nature, those of us in the northern tier of the state occasionally incur a taste of winter: chilly, bracing nights delivering freezing temperatures in which we break out the winter jackets, toss a few logs into the fireplace, and prepare a hearty chili or soup.
Snow and other freezing precipitation are a rarity. In fact, the last measurable snowfall in these parts has arguably been 30 or more years in the past.
The morning of Tuesday, January 21 started off raw. By mid-afternoon, I witnessed a phenomenon I had not seen during my eight years in the panhandle: snow! Snow, and lots of it. Throughout the afternoon and into the early evening 3-4” had accumulated in our Walton County neighborhood. Milton, to the north of Pensacola and not far from us, had been the prior record holder for most snow in one event in Florida at 4”. At the end of the day, that community still held the record, but now at 10”!
Those 10” in one day represented the most snow in a 24-hour period to date this winter compared to any other weather reporting station…in Canada!
Further, we possess no snow removal equipment other than the patience of waiting for the next day to bring sunshine and a thaw. Some who were so bold as to venture out on that Tuesday got stuck.
Author: Sowal Editor
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