Scott Sistek 
Snow along Florida Panhandle (Photo: Florida DOT)
Well, that’s embarrassing for winter…
Sunday saw snow fall in southern Alabama and across parts of the Florida Panhandle, with both Mobile and Pensacola observing a few hours of snow and some storm reports along the Gulf Coast even measuring a half inch or so.
It’s paltry and it didn’t last long, but “paltry and didn’t last long” beats the big, fat zero Seattle has officially observed so far this winter. That means both Mobile and Pensacola (again — in FLORIDA!) are now leading Seattle this year in seasonal snowfall.
Oy.
What’s worse — THIS IS THE SECOND WINTER IN A ROW THAT’S HAPPENED (so far…)
Snowflakes may be falling but Florida’s state highway system remains clear and operational. Keep yourself and others safe by planning ahead before you venture out into bad weather. Check the weather, road conditions, and traffic.#readytoserve pic.twitter.com/w5UlhVyO2h
— FDOT District 3 (@MyFDOT_NWFL) January 18, 2026
Last year, a record snowfall blanketed the Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast in several inches of accumulations. Pensacola officially reported 8.9 inches, but some spots around there went over 10 inches.
Seattle last year despite several days in early February of little flurries and dabs of snow, accumulated a whopping 2.3 inches of total snow last winter.
And of course, we’re still at 0 so far this year (though we did have some fringey snow in late December in some of the outlying areas.)
Last year was only the second time Seattle finished behind Pensacola in winter snowfall, and that was because the winter of 2004 was also a winter where Seattle went with no reported snowfall… and Pensacola reported a trace.
Obviously, there’s still time for a Seattle rally. We’ve got a good two months still on the clock (well, maybe more like 6-7 weeks… I MEAN… WAIT! OH NO! GOOD GRIEF! DID I JUST USE THOSE NUMBERS?!? YOU BETTER NOT BE MAKING THAT JUGGLING ARM MOVEMENT AS YOU READ THAT…)
But there’s not really any hope in January. The 8-14 day outlook shows above normal temps (again…). C’mon February, save us from back-to-back Florida defeats!
I am not even remotely used to seeing snow on the ground anywhere in Florida, and yet, it has happened twice in the past two years. The weather does strange things in strange places sometimes.