It Snowed in Florida Today and People Are Freaking Out

There's a good reason lots of people flee the frigid Northern United States for Florida in the winter -- it's a sun-soaked state where the average high temperature doesn't dip below 60 degrees. But snowbirds and full-time citizens alike woke up to a strange and possibly unwelcome sight on Wednesday morning, as snow fell in the Sunshine State's capital for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Needless to say, people were a little freaked out.

Snow flurries were spotted all across Tallahassee and surrounding areas, as northern potions of the state braced for a wintry mix through the morning. The bizarre coating of snow marks the first accumulation of the white stuff there since 1989, when an inch fell. Classes in five school districts were cancelled for the day, and sections of several major highways were closed across northern Florida out of an abundance of caution. Further south in Orlando, theme parks closed their water attractions due to the cold weather. 

Many took to Twitter to capture the stunning and rare experience.

The snowfall comes as part of an enormous Arctic blast across America in which many states are experiencing record-setting cold temperatures. On New Year's Day, 90% of the US didn't even get above 32 degrees. In fact, almost all of the East Coast is bracing for even more record-breaking cold later this week as a massive storm meteorologists have terrifyingly described as a "bomb cyclone" arrives.

For its part, the forecast for Tallahassee and surrounding areas shows that less than an inch is expected, and temps will begin warming to around normal on Thursday. But for now, lots of people on social media seem to be enjoying the freak weather as the snow has decided to take its own brief winter vacation down south.

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Joe McGauley is a senior writer for Thrillist. Follow him @jwmcgauley.
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