Snow in Florida facts for kids
The U.S. state Florida does not get snow very often. Most of the time, major cities in Florida do not get snowfall that can be measured. Some areas in the far north are able to get snow more often. The National Weather Service says that the Florida Keys and Key West have not gotten a snow flurry in more than 300 years. In Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach, only one snow flurry was recorded. This happened in January 1977. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Palm Beach have not had a snow flurry before or after that.
Florida's climate is low latitude and subtropical. Temperatures that are cold enough to have snowfall do not happen long. Frost is more likely to happen than snow because it needs a temperature of 32°F or 0°C, less than 2 m or 7 ft above sea level, no clouds in the sky, and a relative humidity of 65% or more. For snow to happen in Florida, a polar jet stream must go south through Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. A cold front has to stop around the south part of Florida and curve northeast to add very cold air into clouds.
The earliest known time Florida got snow was in 1774. People in Florida thought it was "extraordinary white rain." The first White Christmas in the northeast part of Florida was on December 23, 1989.
Images for kids
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Snowball fight on the steps of the Florida Capitol, February 1899
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Satellite image for the January 24, 2003, snowfall
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