Snow in Tampa: How and when it Can Happen

When the mercury hits above 90 degrees during the long Florida summers, people begin thinking about cooling things off again. Unfortunately for those sweltering Floridians, the first cold fronts of the season don't really make much of an impact until late October, when cold fronts leading pockets of Canadian and Arctic air sweep down and dip temperatures below 60 degrees. Simultaneously, the humidity also begins to temper down.

But how about snow? What would it take to make it snow in Tampa?

For the record, Tampa has seen snow before. Perhpas the most notable event of snow in Tampa was in January 1977. It was during the January 1977 event when more than 1/2" of snow fell in parts of the Tampa area.

A statewide arctic event during December 23 and 24, 1989, brought devastating freezes across much of Florida. All-time record low temperatures were broken, and much of the state, including parts of the Tampa area, saw flurries.

Making it Snow in Tampa

But what meteorlogical conditions must exist for the seemingly "impossible" event of snow in Tampa must exist to bring white precipitation to the grounds of the Tampa area? Three necessities to make snow fall are present precipitation, atmospheric temperatures below freezing, and ground temperatures generally must be at 32 degrees or below; however, snow flakes have fallen when ground temperatures are a few degrees warmer.

Part of the problem of getting snow in Tampa and the surrounding area is that the cold fronts which bring very cold temperatures to Florida often pull through the region without much, if any, substantial moisture. In fact, it is not rare for Florida to see a cold front come through in the winter with but only a few clouds.

While temperatures behind many of Florida's winter cold fronts may be low enough to support snow in Tampa, without the necessary precipitation, ice crystals, and clouds, snow in Tampa simply will not happen. Another issue that factors into the equation of snow in Tampa and the surrounding region is the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which usually act in raising nearby ground temperatures too high to support local snow fall.

Interestingly, while the warm Gulf waters often impede snow because the water tends to increase nearby ground temperatures, the clash of warm Gulf temperatures and cold air temperatures can create clouds and the precipitation necessary for flurries and or snow in Tampa.

This rare phenomenon is known as "Gulf-effect snow" and led to particularly notable snowfall as seen along Florida's Gulf coast during the Blizzard of 1899. Such a meteorlogical situation is similar to the phenomenon of "lake-effect snow" seen throughout the Great Lakes area of the Northern and Northeastern United States.

Resources:

http://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/florida.htm
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/12/Life/The_great_Tampa_Bay_s.shtml