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| "Picking luscious oranges in beautiful Florida while you play in the silvery snow in the north" Florida State Archives/Postcard Collection circa 1900 |
By Jane Feehan
The first recorded snow in South Florida came to mind with
our recent cold snap. The January 19, 1977 event slowly recedes from the
memories of many locals while it remains an unknown to most of the state’s new
residents.
The National Weather Service, for the first time since its founding
in 1870, predicted “rain mixed with snow” for South Florida for that day, a
Wednesday. The predicted cold front and high-pressure feature over the
Mississippi Valley would drop temperatures to the mid-30s along the coast and
to 30 degrees inland. Blustery weather with 25 mph winds would bring a wind
chill factor of 7 degrees to some areas.
Weather experts later said the freezing level was at 1,500
feet with the ground temperature at about 40 degrees that day; it’s why the
white stuff didn’t stick in Broward and Dade counties. Nevertheless, the first report
of snow in Broward County came from Wilton Manors at 7:30 a.m., the time I saw
it in Fort Lauderdale. The Fort Lauderdale International Airport reported
snowfall from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Snow was
reported in nearly every city in Broward County.
Though no snow was reported from the Miami International Airport,
reports of flurries came in from Opa-locka Airport and northern Miami Beach. One
news account reported snow, farther south and west, in Homestead. Winds from
the system (up to 40 mph) in the Florida Keys brought coastal flooding.
Snow was heavier in West Palm Beach areas and in Boca Raton.
Orange grove owners in Loxahatchee reported snow coming through the groves like
a blizzard as wind speeds ramped up over 30 mph. An accumulation of about a
half inch was reported.
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| Map Jan. 19, showing cold wave affecting Florida NOAA - Public Domain via Wikipedia |
For some, snow accumulation brought welcome relief. Workers
stayed up past midnight in Central Florida to keep pots of fire fueled to raise
temperatures, a frequent cold temperature-fighting tactic among orange
growers when temps dip below 32. Vegetable growers pumped warm water—about 65 degrees—through
irrigation canals. Helicopters could also be used as giant fans, but things
changed when the snow arrived about 1 a.m. Overnight accumulations served as a
blanket and dropped from cloudy skies, which also served to warm. Some
farmers in the lower part of the state were somewhat relieved, but days later,
crop losses and damage throughout the state totaled about $2 billion (1977 USD).
Snow or flurry reports were met with a wide range of responses.
Palm Beach County closed all schools, mainly because buildings didn’t have heat. Some schools closed in Broward; a few teachers said they wanted students to experience the rare event.
The Key Biscayne Hotel, south of Miami, served coffee with brandy to all guests at a lobby warming station.
A man in Fort Pierce mounted snow skis atop his car and drove around looking for a slope (or attention).
One K-Mart store in West Palm had mistakenly
received a shipment of snow shovels and snow sleds three weeks prior but placed
them on display when they heard about the approaching cold front. Only after snow
was reported did some think the store’s display was not only prescient but appropriate.
Meanwhile up in Alaska on January 18, the Anchorage Hockey
Association cancelled its games because ice on their outdoor rinks had melted.
Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved. Jane Feehan
Fort Lauderdale News, Jan 19, 1977
Miami Herald, Jan. 20, 1977
Miami News, Jan. 19, 1977
Palm Beach Post, Jan. 20, 1977
Wikipedia
Tags: Fort Lauderdale snow, Snow in Miami, Fort Lauderdale history, Broward County history, Miami history