TAMPA, Fla. — Snow in parts of the Florida Panhandle happens every so often during the wintertime but farther south, it's a more infrequent occurrence.
Rare, even — it's been 45 years since Tampa Bay picked up a couple of inches of snow. Back on Jan. 19, 1977, it snowed enough to bring out the ruler, and it was the last time measurable snow was recorded.
Tampa saw 0.2 inches of snow while locations east picked up an inch or two. That's an amount people up north laugh at but down here, it's more than enough to cause problems.
The Tampa Tribune at the time reported 79 people were treated across seven Hillsborough County hospitals for crash-related injuries that happened on slick roads. Elsewhere across the state, hundreds of more accidents were reported — at least 200 in the Tampa Bay area alone.
Citrus and vegetable industries were left reeling, with 150,000 migrant workers losing their jobs, according to CBS Miami.
It was all thanks to a powerful winter cold front that began pushing through late in the day on Jan. 18. The air sank so far into the Sunshine State that South Florida picked up some flakes, CBS Miami said. Miami Beach, too!
According to the Tampa Bay Times, students in Pinellas County got the day off because the utility company couldn't heat the schools.
With low temperatures in the 40s and 50s tonight and no moisture in the air, don't expect any sort of repeat from 45 years ago.