Rare snow from Florida to the Carolinas could make winter weather history in the Southeast

While the corridor for measurable snow is narrowing across parts of the Deep South and southeastern U.S. this weekend, rare snow is expected to fall across portions of the Southeast, with flakes falling in the Carolinas and dipping as far south as Florida.

Despite early predictions from forecast models that potentially plowable snow could fall across the Southeast this weekend, a storm is expected to take hold that will likely pull the necessary moisture needed to produce such an event out of the region before an arctic blast of freezing air arrives, though not all hope is lost for snow-lovers in the South. 

"The opportunity for some sticking snow, measurable snow, anything that's plowable [is] less likely at this point," FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar said, adding that the chance for snowflakes remains in the picture.

To get a definitive handle on the forecast, the Hurricane Hunters are scheduled to fly an Atlantic mission into the developing storm center. The data they drop directly into the storm will inform forecast models about whether the system will strengthen and slow down, heightening the chance for snow, or continue its fast trek out to sea.

ARCTIC REVENGE: BITTER FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO INVADE US AS FAR SOUTH AS FLORIDA, PLUNGING IGUANAS FROM TREES

For most areas in the Southeast, moisture and the Arctic air stay far enough apart that most areas see cold, raw rain rather than a winter wonderland. 

While most of the region will miss out, a narrow window remains for enough overlap between the moisture and the cold air to produce a few flakes, with the best chance for snow occurring Sunday.

At least a coating of rare snow is expected for the Florida panhandle, southern Georgia and the eastern Carolinas. 

The corridor for snow runs from the Gulf Coast north to North Carolina and could bring snow to inland areas north of the Gulf, including Augusta, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina and Raleigh.

Along the Southeast coast, it will likely remain too warm for anything but rain in cities like Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia.

THIS ROCK IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK WILL FALL, IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME

Inland, however, the most likely scenario is a slushy coating of snow, primarily on elevated surfaces and grass surfaces, since ground temperatures will hover a few degrees above freezing. Even if all the pieces came together perfectly, no more than an inch or two of snow would fall. 

MAKING SNOW HISTORY? 

If measurable snow does make it into the Florida Panhandle, even a small amount would make history, as Pensacola and Tallahassee have never gone two consecutive winters with measurable snow.

Just last year, the Sunshine State was slammed by a historic winter storm that shattered 130-year records and dumped snow along the northern Gulf Coast.

The historic January 2025 snowstorm dumped 8.9 inches of measured snow in Pensacola across two days, obliterating the prior two-day record of 3 inches of snow set during the February snowstorm of 1895. 

The rare winter weather event triggered alerts along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, and dumped snow on major cities, including New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, that are rarely ever adorned in snow.