Historic winter storm descends on Northeast Florida bringing freezing rain, snow flurries

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tuesday afternoon quickly turned cold and the rain continued causing schools and businesses to close on Wednesday as the overnight temperatures dropped even further.

The progression from rain to sleet to snow was first seen in Waycross at 7 p.m. Tuesday, then back to sleet and rain after big, wet snowflakes fell for a short time.

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A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 1 p.m. Wednesday for all Southeast Georgia counties and most Northeast Florida counties except St. Johns County and the southern portions of Putnam County.

A Freeze Warning and Cold Weather Advisory continue for the entire region until 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Flurries over Northeast Florida

Accumulations of 1-2 inches are likely, with some models suggesting up to 4 inches across north Florida and Southeast Georgia by sunrise. Flurries were seen over Northeast Florida mixed in with sleet but any accumulations are unlikely to accumulate.

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While coastal areas will stay slightly warmer, with lows in the upper 30s/low 40s, areas west of the St. Johns River will drop into the low 30s, and areas west of Highway 301 will reach the upper 20s.

Southeast Georgia is expected to experience even colder lows, in the low to mid-20s, bringing the potential for a hard freeze.

Records falling in North Florida, Panhandle

The record for snowfall in Florida within a 24-hour timeframe of 4″ was set on March 6, 1954, at the Milton Experimental Station. On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Milton, recorded at least 8.8″. Plows were out trying to clear I-10 in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties and there were reported power outages.