Snow in Florida
Pensacola Police Department

Snow fell across parts of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama on Sunday as a winter storm delivered a rare wintry blast to a region more accustomed to palm trees and beach weather.

The storm system dumped up to two inches on southern portions of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, including Pensacola, NPR reported. It happened almost a year to the day after parts of Florida received record snow in mid-January 2025.

Flakes started falling around 4 a.m. Sunday, coating lawns and rooftops across the western Panhandle. Snow collected along Interstate 10 in Walton County and was spotted in DeFuniak Springs and Ponce de Leon in Holmes County, local station WMBB noted.

Last year's storm hit much harder. On 21 January 2025, Pensacola shattered its previous two-day snowfall record with 8.9 inches, obliterating the prior mark of 3 inches set during the February snowstorm of 1895.

Georgia Bears Brunt of This Year's Storm

Central Georgia caught the heaviest accumulation this time. The National Weather Service issued Winter Storm Warnings for portions of west-central and central Georgia, with cities including Macon, Columbus, and Dublin expecting between 1 and 3 inches.

Snow started falling in the Columbus area around 6.30 a.m. and pushed east through the morning. Local coverage from 13WMAZ showed areas near Monticello recording up to 3 inches, while Columbus saw roughly 1.5 inches accumulate by daybreak.

'Roads may become slick due to freezing temperatures and winter precipitation,' the Macon-Bibb Emergency Management Agency warned. 'If you must drive, slow down, leave extra space, and treat intersections without working signals as four-way stops.'

Potential Weather History in the Making

Should snow accumulate to measurable levels in Tallahassee and Albany, Georgia, it would mark the first time on record these locations have experienced snow in two consecutive winters. FOX Weather highlighted the historic significance of the back-to-back events.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said state response teams stood ready. 'Teams at GEMA/HS, Georgia Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, and beyond are monitoring this weekend's forecast and are prepared to respond,' he posted on social media before the storm arrived.

The Florida Department of Transportation had crews stationed across the Panhandle before the storm rolled in. 'While beach weather may be on pause for North Florida this weekend, FDOT crews aren't,' the agency stated.

The Walton County Sheriff's Office shared its own update: 'White stuff, again, in Walton County, Florida. Nearly a year to the day we got snow last year. Be safe on the roads.'

Danielle Brahier from Holt set an alarm for 3 a.m., and snow started an hour later. She woke her three daughters and headed outside. 'It was enough to make snowballs and snowmen,' she told the Associated Press.

Cold Snap Continues Across the State

Sunday's snowfall ended by midday, but Arctic cold continued to grip the state. Orlando and the surrounding areas faced freeze warnings Sunday night into Monday morning, with temperatures expected to plunge to at least 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius).

NWS meteorologist Joe Wegman told the media the cold would be 'short-lived'. 'We're only expecting this level of cold for tonight. And then, even by tomorrow night, we'll have lows in the upper 30s.'

The same system brought heavier snowfall to New England, with three to five inches forecast for Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Georgia officials cautioned that the real danger would come Sunday night into Monday morning, when dropping temperatures could turn any remaining moisture into black ice on bridges, overpasses, and shaded roads.

By early afternoon, the sun broke through in central Georgia, and the snow melted fast. Residents were left with photographs and memories of another rare brush with winter weather.

Prior to last year, the Panhandle had not seen snow since December 1989.

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