Freezing temperatures are hitting much of Florida over the weekend, and the extreme cold could bring some flurries or a wintry mix. While there aren’t any forecasted chances of Treasure Coast seeing any snowflakes, Indian River County will still see temperatures as low as the mid-20s.
Snow in Florida is not as rare as some people might think. In January 2025, when historic conditions hit the Panhandle, some areas saw as many as 8 inches of snow. The Treasure Coast, on the other hand, missed out on snow.
So when was the last time it snowed on the Treasure Coast?
We took a look back at historic winter weather in Stuart, Vero Beach and Fort Pierce.
When was the last time it snowed on the Treasure Coast in Florida?
The last appreciable snowfall on the Treasure and Space coasts fell Jan. 19, 1977, nearly 49 years ago.
To paint another picture: In 1977, gasoline was 66 cents a gallon, the minimum wage was $2.30 an hour, a dozen eggs were under $0.85, and there weren’t any Walmart stores.
In January 1977, two Arctic blasts swept through Florida from Jan. 16-20, bringing the coldest temperatures and unprecedented snowfall as far south as Homestead on Jan. 19 — a first in South Florida recorded history.
Back then, arctic air blasted into Florida, dropping temperatures to 17 degrees in Melbourne and 23 in Vero Beach. A light dusting of snow fell as far south as Homestead.
What was Florida’s historic 1977 winter blast like?
Official weather stations across the state documented the rare event, and reports of snow mixed with rain even came from Freeport in the Bahamas.
Florida’s average temperature that month was 49.7 degrees, according to the Florida Climate Center in Tallahassee.
While Florida had experienced snow on rare occasions before and after 1977 — most often “snow flurries” and “light sleets of snow” reported in Jacksonville as far back as 1765 — snow in South Florida was described as once in a lifetime.
Snow, weather history in South Florida: How many times has it ever snowed on the Treasure Coast?
But the Treasure Coast has seen snow at least three times in recorded history:
Here’s the Jan. 19 data for Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, according to the National Climatic Data Center and the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the oldest U.S. annual calendar keeping record of significant data in the country since 1792:
What was Florida’s coldest winter?
On Jan. 1, 2010, an Arctic cold front swept into South Florida, triggering a prolonged stretch of record-breaking low temperatures. Naples, Moore Haven and West Palm Beach experienced their coldest 12-day period ever recorded, while Fort Lauderdale and Miami also saw near-record lows.
There were unverified reports of sleet and snow in some areas, including the Treasure Coast on Jan. 9.
In January, 2010, the Treasure Coast saw six nights with temperatures below freezing, with the coldest recorded at 25 degrees on Jan. 12 — followed by a prolonged cold period in February and March, when temperatures remained 10-15 degrees lower than usual.
On Jan. 10, Florida temperatures plummeted to their lowest since 1989, after a day of rain and temperatures ranging from the 30s to 40s.
Melbourne and Vero Beach saw a record-setting average temperature of 58 degrees from January through March. It dropped to 59.5 in 1958 and down to 59.8 in 1978.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Snow in Florida? When did it last snow in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach
Reporting by Hana Khalyleh and Rachelle Barrett, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
