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Has it ever snowed in the Tampa Bay area?

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, chances are you’ll have to keep dreaming.

People play with snow. Trees line the road.

The Sunshine State doesn’t get a whole lot of snow.

The Tampa Bay area has truly transformed for the holiday season, with decorations, events, lights, shows, performances, parades, and more. There is, however, one aspect of this time of year we miss out on: snow. But has that always been the case?

Let’s take a trip back 46 years in time to find out about the last time snow fell in TBAY.

It was a surprisingly cold Tuesday — somewhere in the 30s — when snow began to fall late in the night on Jan. 18, 1977. The next morning, some people woke up in and around TBAY to one-to-two inches of powder, although the City of Tampa officially reported just 0.2 inches.

With snowball fights + snowmen undoubtedly a feature of the event, the Tampa Bay Times also reported ~200 accidents and 79 hospitalizations.

The frosty occurrence happened due to an arctic front which moved across Florida — snow was recorded as far south as Miami.

We would love to hear stories from anyone who remembers the event. Get in touch.

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