A major winter storm is taking shape across the northern Gulf Coast and is set to bring snow, sleet and freezing rain into parts of the sunshine state from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect as far south as Gainesville, Florida.
A Winter Weather Advisory extends down to Ocala.
Snow in Florida is quite rare but not unheard of. The last time parts of the Sunshine State picked up a dusting of snow was back in 2018.
Tonight's storm is expected to bring much more than a dusting, even rivaling the winter storm of 1989, which blanketed north Florida with snow and ice a few days before Christmas.
Florida snow forecast
Several inches of accumulating snow is expected to fall across most of the Florida panhandle from Tallahassee to Pensacola. The latest forecast calls for 1-4 inches of snow, and some areas could pick up as much as 3-5 inches.
Freezing rain and ice are a major concern
The biggest concern for our neighbors to the north will be freezing rain, which could leave a glazing of ice on trees and powerlines, potentially leading to power outages and treacherous road conditions.
A cold rain for the Florida Gulf Coast
While Southwest Florida won't have to deal with any wintry precipitation, the same storm bringing snow to North Florida will bring very cold rain to the Gulf Coast.
We'll see the first round of chilly showers on Tuesday as temperatures struggle to get out of the 50s.
From tonight through Wednesday morning, temperatures are set to drop into the 40s as the next round of rain arrives from the Gulf. That cold rain combined with a strong northerly breeze will make the air feel much colder, particularly on Wednesday morning.
Thankfully, we won't have to deal with any wintry mischief here in Southwest Florida, but it's definitely not going to feel much like Florida for the next several days.
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