Drivers warned to stay home as snow leaves behind winter wonderland in Florida

Folks in northern Florida awoke to a winter wonderland Wednesday morning, after a rare frigid storm charged through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday. But it wasn't all fun and games as the precipitation prompted road closures and treacherous driving conditions.

Cold weather advisories and warnings covered the Panhandle as snow covered the white-sand beaches of normally sunny vacation spots, including Pensacola Beach.

The weather warning areas included big cities like Jacksonville, Florida, which is expected to see snow, sleet and accumulating ice into Wednesday. The Jacksonville International Airport closed because of the weather Tuesday evening and said it planned to reopen at midday Wednesday. Schools canceled classes, and government offices were closed Wednesday.

“We are expecting some winter weather we’re not used to in Northeast Florida,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. ”The safest place you can be Tuesday night and Wednesday is at home!”

PHOTOS: Winter storm brings snow to the Sunshine State

The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.

Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and yes, even Florida — the Sunshine State — declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday. School closures were planned in some coastal communities in North and South Carolina.

Snow closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students more accustomed to hurricane dismissals than snow days.

FDOT crews will be out through the overnight hours removing snow and ice from I-10 and other critical corridors in NW Florida to get them open as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/dFdB5qJL6i

— FDOT District 3 (@MyFDOT_NWFL) January 22, 2025

“Believe it or not, in the state of Florida we’re mobilizing snowplows,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Parts of the Florida Panhandle were coated white Tuesday and Wednesday. Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, last saw snow in 2018 — just 0.1 of an inch, according to the weather service. Tallahassee's highest snowfall on record was 2.8 inches in 1958.

Cameras also captured snow on the Pensacola Bay Bridge, an a neighborhood just east of the city saw itself covered in the precipitation as tropical plants turned white.

The Florida Highway Patrol shared several images of the preparations and urged residents to stay off the icy roads.

Interstate 10 was closed from Escambia County all the way to Okaloosa County. The Pensacola Bay Bridge was also impassable.

Flight cancellations, states of emergency and fatalities

More than 2,300 flights to, from or within the U.S. were canceled Tuesday, according to online tracker FlightAware.com. Both Houston airports suspended flight operations, and nearly every flight was canceled at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport. Most airlines planned to resume operations Wednesday.

The NWS said up to 4 inches of snow fell in the Houston area. Texas transportation officials said more than 20 snowplows were in use across nearly 12,000 lane miles in the Houston area, which lacks its own city or county plows.

Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and even Florida — the Sunshine State — declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday. School closures were planned in some coastal communities in North and South Carolina.

In the Texas capital, two people died in the cold weather, according to a statement from the city of Austin. No details were provided, but the city said emergency crews had responded to more than a dozen “cold exposure” calls.

Officials said one person has died from hypothermia in Georgia.

A state of emergency was also declared in at least a dozen New York counties with up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) of lake-effect snow and extreme cold expected around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Wednesday.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.