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Palm Trees
Mon Jan 19, 2004
Listen in RealAudio 
Snow falling on ... palm trees? Next on The Weather Notebook.
Everybody, it seems, wants to take a winter trip to Miami, even Old Man Winter. In January,
1977, for the first and last time in South Florida history, snowflakes dusted the ground. Hi,
I'm Bryan Yeaton for The Weather Notebook.
The winter had already been abnormal -- the coldest on record in the eastern U.S.
On January 18th, one to two inches of snow fell around Pensacola, as bitterly cold air
channeled from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico between a strong Nor'easter and a huge Arctic
High. By midnight, every north and central Florida weather station echoed the word
"snow."
The South Florida weather forecast made national and international headlines. And why not? It
had never snowed, according to the historical record, south of a line from Fort Myers on the
west coast to Fort Pierce on the east.
But at 6:10 a.m. on January 19, West Palm Beach reported falling snow. An hour later an
amended Miami forecast included a likelihood of snow; the first snow forecast ever issued for
the city.
In midmorning, snow reports came from Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Homestead, 23
miles southwest of Miami. While the Miami international Airport never officially reported
snow, there were public sightings of the unusual precipitation and radar picked up echoes from
snow falling around the city.
Most South Florida children had never seen snow. School principal Mary Crum said, "They were
ecstatic, running around with their tongues out, trying to catch the snow in their
mouths."
The banner headline from The Miami Herald announced the event in a size usually reserved for
declarations of war.
Thanks to our contributing writer, meteorologist Keith Heidorn. The Weather Notebook is
supported by Subaru of America and the National Science Foundation.
Today's Links
Web-Page Links:
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2002/alm02jan.htm
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