On Jan. 19, 1977, Tampa Bay briefly became a winter wonderland. Or a winter nightmare, depending on your perspective.


What You Need To Know

  • It snowed in Tampa Bay on Jan. 19, 1977

  • Parts of Tampa Bay had more than one inch of snow

  • For the first time on record, snowflakes fell in South Florida

Forty-seven years ago, snow fell across the Sunshine State. There were reports of snow flurries as far south as Homestead and Miami Beach for the first time on record!

An arctic front moved across Florida, bringing bitterly cold temperatures down the peninsula.

Weather map at 7 a.m. ET on Jan. 19, 1977. (NOAA)

Snow started late on Jan. 18. On the morning of Jan. 19, parts of Tampa Bay had more than an inch of snow.

Kids were building snowmen and having snowball fights, and they didn't want to go to school.

But for adults trying to get to work, it was a dangerous drive.

If you think driving in Florida is bad on a sunny day, imagine what it was like on icy roads!

The snow didn’t last long.

However, it was a rare sight and is an interesting part of Florida's weather history. 

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