Snow flurries were falling as far south as Tallahassee Wednesday, the first snow fall in the state capital in 28 years.
Officials in north Florida were forced to close a nearly 50 mile section of Interstate 10 due to icy conditions, as the National Weather Service predicted snow flurries across a swath of northern Florida, from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, on Wednesday morning. Accumulations were not expected.
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On its Twitter account, The Tallahassee Police Department warned motorists that ice could form on bridges early Wednesday. The weather service in Tallahassee tweeted that there's 0.1 inch of snow on the roof of the building.
Schools in at least five districts canceled classes on Wednesday as well. In Tallahassee, students were supposed to return from winter break, but got another day thanks to the weather. Florida State University closed their campus on Tuesday night through Wednesday at 5 p.m. due to the weather.
The snow brought a childlike joy and wonder and loud vocal whoops from longtime residents who rarely see the white stuff.
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Sharon Rosenberg is a 35-year-old physical therapist who has lived in the state capital her entire life. Rosenberg and her two young children and husband bundled up and went outside early in the morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the snow falling.
She says she didn't think it was going to happen, and then "literally two seconds later it started snowing."
South Florida will be bracing for a dip into the 40’s for the end of 2018’s first week after several days of milder temperatures to start the year as a cold front begins to push away Wednesday afternoon, drier air begins working in and the cold air will first be felt by Thursday morning with lows in the mid-40s.
Thursday and Friday will be cooler than that with highs barely breaking into the lower 60s. By the weekend, the weather warms up with temperatures hitting the mid-70s for highs by Sunday.
At Hollywood Beach Tuesday, the cool and rainy weather was a bummer for business owners who prefer sunshine.
"We had some years that, Christmas and New Year’s were terrible, and then they were good after so, you get the good and the bad," Italian restaurant owner Giuseppe Viscito said. "You win some, you lose some."
Brutal winter weather that's brought subzero temperatures to parts of the U.S. is threatening to dump snow and ice across parts of the South that rarely see flurries, much less accumulation.
The National Weather Service said a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain was expected Wednesday mainly along the Atlantic seaboard from Florida to North Carolina. It warned that icy roads and low visibility could make driving treacherous across the region.
Several theme parks in the Sunshine State were also closing attractions because of the weather.
