JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Exactly 32 years ago Thursday, it snowed in Jacksonville.
The Christmas of 1989 was one to remember for the city, with so much snow sticking to the ground that people sledded down the Dames Point Bridge.
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The historic event resulted when arctic air pushed temperatures below freezing through Florida with ice accumulating down to Miami.
At Jacksonville’s National Weather Service office near the airport, 0.8 inches of snow fell, marking the second-highest storm total on record. Areas closer to water received more. At Naval Air Station Jacksonville, 1 inch of snow fell, while at Jacksonville Beach, 2.5 inches were recorded. Snow and flurries reached Central Florida, with 1 inch reported as far south as Sarasota.
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It was a rare combination of weather features to generate that much snow.
The day before snowfall, a 1055 mb strong arctic high pressure centered near South Dakota rushed cold to the south. The front marking the leading edge of cold air stalled in Central Florida. Temperatures dipped into the 20s around Jacksonville. Low pressure developed along the front and moved a few hundred miles off the Southeast coast of the United States.
By the evening, snow or mixed precipitation began to fall across northern Florida and parts of coastal Georgia. Rain changed over to sleet in Jacksonville just after 6 p.m., and freezing rain began in St. Simons Island about 7 p.m.
A broad trough in the upper levels of the atmosphere carved a trough over the eastern half of North America. Southwest winds aloft pumped in moisture that fed the low-pressure snow machine.
By Dec. 23, 1989, counter-clockwise winds around the low pushed the arctic front south across Florida with cold temperatures surging southward across the entire peninsula.
By Christmas morning, much of the snow began melting.
Do you have any photos from the snow in December 1989? We’d love to see your pictures. Click here to upload a SnapJAX photo. You must be a News4JAX Insider, but it’s free to create an account.
ShawnGorman
32 years ago today in 1989 it SNOWED here in Jax! I was 5 years old at the time and I’m now 37. That is me in the light blue jacket with purple pants. That year was a white Christmas!