By Juliana Seaman
TAMPA, Fla. –– Who knew Florida would have to cross “getting a snowstorm” off their 2025 bingo card? Not a soul.
The Jan. 21 snowstorm in North Florida lasted for hours, breaking records and leaving the area covered in snow. With temperatures hitting lower than Alaska, snowfall reaching about 9 inches, and ice finding its way onto the roads of Florida, residents experienced an environmental culture shock. January started the Sunshine State off with a different kind of shine.
It is unbelievable to think about Florida experiencing a snowstorm. From a geographical standpoint, North Florida — along the panhandle, including cities such as Milton, Pensacola, and Tallahassee — was one of the rare areas that Mother Nature chose to receive a winter blanket. The city of Milton was left with a little less than 9 inches of snow, hitting a new record since 1954. Pensacola, along with surrounding cities, saw about 5 to 8 inches of snow as well. On the northern side of the panhandle, major cities such as Tallahassee and Jacksonville saw flurries and icy rain. This minor catastrophe left many natives, visitors, locals, and students unsure of what to do or how to take action.
Florida State University’s (FSU) Tallahassee campus, for instance, called for a “snow day” from Jan. 21 to Jan. 24. Not only did Tallahassee experience freezing rain, but they also saw 2 inches of sleet and snow. Unlike most locals, the FSU’s student body were having a blast during their time off. Students were in the streets of Tallahassee making snow angels, having snowball fights, and some even spent their mini vacation around the bars.
“It was the best nights of my life, I’m pretty sure,” said Lucia Orlando, a senior at Florida State University.
Orlando, who was originally from Tampa, decided to continue her education not too far from home. When she is not in her hospitality and tourism management classes, she can be found out and about around Tallahassee with her friends. Orlando could be described as an extrovert who lives with no regrets. During this winter miracle of a break, Orlando and her friends went out to their local bars to celebrate with other students.
“I would say our school has a lot of school spirit and we definitely know how to have a fun time,” said Orlando. According to Barstool’s “Top 50 Party Schools” list in 2022, FSU was ranked seventh in the country as a top party school. As young adults, they knew when it was an appropriate time to celebrate.
Orlando was told by her friends to “enjoy the snow while it’s here” and that it was “just snow.” After deliberating on finding an outfit to wear, Orlando and her friends decided to listen to their own advice.
“The snow did not negatively affect my day, if anything it made it more peaceful and enjoyable,” said Orlando. “Seeing kids who have never seen snow freak out was actually cool. During the day, everyone was out making makeshift sleds from folding tables and boxes then sliding down any type of hill. All the bars were still open and we went out every night and enjoyed playing in the snow.”
Along with the Gators at the University of Florida (UF), FSU was not fazed by the snow.
Although snow was rare in Florida, Orlando was no stranger to it, nor were her friends. She has family who she visits on occasion in Boston, Massachusetts. In her whole life, she has seen snow a couple of times, not once in Florida.
“I was prepared to an extent,” said Orlando. “Next time, I will make sure I have some sort of car scraper to get the snow off my car.”
Other than preparation concerns, students grew excited when the rumors became a reality on the FSU campus. The students of FSU took advantage of this mini-break after winter break.
As for their school itself, FSU is scheduled to return to regular campus operations on Monday, Jan. 27. During this break, teachers were not allowed to hand out work to their students. The recuperation of missed days while FSU was closed is to be determined.
It is possible that these missed days could be made up similarly to how UTampa had to make up for their missed natural disaster days.
“Homework that was due online is still due at the end of the week, but no extra work was given for missed classes,” said Orlando. “Florida State let us know beforehand that school would be closed due to the ice and snow on the roads and that it was not safe for kids to be driving or trying to walk in icy conditions.”
Like Tallahassee, many other areas in Florida were affected by this geographically rare storm and worked together to help maintain a safe environment for all, whether shoveling for neighbors, plowing roads and driveways, or salting the roads to prevent black ice accidents. Florida’s luck with the weather has not been so fortunate over these last few months. It is important to work together as a community to keep the environment safe and healthy.
Now that January is ending, it is time to see what the rest of 2025 has in store!
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Photo courtesy of @FloridaState.