Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow? It did 47 years ago in South Florida
MIAMI - Our cold front that will impact the area this weekend may make it feel a little chilly Sunday morning but it is nothing compared to what South Florida felt and observed 47 years ago.
A powerful cold front dropped temperatures to below-freezing in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, with the cold air settled at the surface and area of moisture moved overhead out of the Gulf.
Snow that formed thousands of feet up made it all the way to the surface. It was the only time snow has ever been reported in Miami.
A mix of rain and snow observed in Homestead made that the southernmost point where snow was observed.
It was January 19th, 1977. The area woke up to the snow falling, but by 9:30 AM South Florida's big snow show was over.
Considered only a "trace" amount, Miami's snow event isn't even on the weather books.
The headline on The Miami News that afternoon screamed: "Snow in Miami!" The next day The Miami Herald's read, "The Day It Snowed in Miami."
While South Florida residents, young and old, couldn't believe their eyes and still remember where they were the day it snowed in South Florida; the cold front that brought the cold temperatures caused severe damage to Florida's crops.
The state's citrus and vegetable industries were nearly wiped out and some 150,000 migrant workers lost their jobs in the state — including 80,000 in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. Then-Gov. Reubin Askew declared a state of emergency.
This weekend's cold front is only expected to drop temperatures into the lower 50s. A relatively mild day compared to what we experienced 47 years ago.