It’s so cold outside that it snowed in Florida

Usually the words “snow” and “Florida” don’t go together.

But a cold front over the weekend has proved that rule wrong for shivering Floridians, bringing in a dusting of snow across the western Panhandle late Saturday night into Sunday morning.

As temperatures dipped into the low 30s, some areas of the Sunshine State including Escambia County saw up to two inches of snow, NorthEscambia.com reported on Twitter. The news site posted a photo of a ‘Welcome to Florida’ sign covered in light snow.

In Santa Rosa County, the southern edge of Winter Storm Benji's snow was spotted along roadways, fields and tree branches.

The county posted on Twitter: “Here’s something you don’t see very often in Florida — snow!”

According to the National Weather Service, flurries were reported at Destin and Miramar Beach early Saturday morning, among other locations in Northwest Florida.

“This may have been the first measurable snow at Pensacola Regional Airport since Winter Storm Leon produced one inch of snow in late January 2014,” according to meteorologists at the Weather Channel.

But some Twitter users are taking the snow seriously.

“Snow in Florida? The world must be ending,” one person posted.

As far as South Florida, don’t get too excited. The last time that happened was in 1977. About 40 years ago, snowflakes briefly dusted palm trees, windshields and people from Miami to West Palm Beach — a freak but brief winter wonderland and the only South Florida snowfall on record in the 20th century.

Though snowflakes won’t be falling from the sky, Miami-Dade and Broward can at least count on chilly weather for the week, with blue skies and no rain, meteorologists say.

Temperatures will remain in the high 40s and low 50s through Sunday night and early Monday morning. During the week, expect high temperatures to stay in the 60s and 70s and lows in the 50s, said Robert Garcia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.

“Winter time is here,” he said. “At least for a little bit.”

This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 9:51 AM with the headline "It’s so cold outside that it snowed in Florida."