How often do cities such as Houston, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Savannah see snowfall?
The Christmas Snowstorm of December 1989 was a frozen weather event to which all chances of snow are compared. Communities in the Carolinas saw more than a foot of snowfall, while Florida and the Gulf Coast recorded several inches of accumulation.
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How do snowflakes get so jumbo-sized? It's literally a sticky situation.
Despite their southern latitudes, cities along the Gulf Coast are not immune to wintry weather.
While snowfall is rare, when the needed conditions align, cities such as Houston, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Savannah can experience frozen precipitation, often in the form of sleet and freezing rain rather than snow.
Any type of frozen precipitation can be problematic for the region, as many communities lack the necessary equipment, such as treatment trucks and snowplows, to keep roadways and airports free from hazardous travel.
Such weather occurrences happen only a few times in a generation, as they generally require unique conditions - a significant arctic ridge of high pressure centered over the Plains, combined with an area of low pressure over the Gulf of Mexico.
If too much warm air advances north of the storm system, then the communities along the Gulf Coast usually see just rain, which is a common sight during the winter months with the snowfall line closer to the Tennessee Valley.
A man sleds down a snow covered hill in Houston, Texas on February 15, 2021. - Much of the United States was in the icy grip of an "unprecedented" winter storm on February 15 as frigid Arctic air sent temperatures plunging, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations, making driving hazardous and leaving millions without power in Texas. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the White House has issued a Federal Emergency Declaration for Texas in response to severe winter weather across the state.
(Photo by Mark Felix / AFP / Getty Images)
Memorable years for wintry precipitation include 1977, when snowflakes were reported as far south as Miami, 1989, 2010 and 2018.
Warming winters have made ice and snow less common in the region, with these episodes being more frequent during the 1900s than in recent decades.
According to Houston’s National Weather Service office, the city’s greatest snowfall event occurred on Feb. 14, 1895, when nearly 20" fell across the city.
In North Florida and many other cities across the Southeast, it is the Christmas week snowstorm of 1989 that holds many records and serves as a benchmark for all other winter precipitation events.
The historic storm system developed on Dec. 22 before moving across the Sunshine State and off the Atlantic coast.
Wilmington, North Carolina, reported seeing 15 inches of snow, while Jacksonville, Florida, saw nearly 2 inches.
According to the NWS, the frozen weather event caused widespread power outages and severe crop damage.
1989 snowfall map
(NOAA)
Cities located well south of Interstate 10, such as Miami, Key West and San Diego, have never recorded measurable snowfall.
Additionally, all are located along oceans, which act as a moderating factor, making frosts and freezes even rare events.