I-10 Freeway closed from Alabama to Tennessee, 9 inches of snow in Pensacola
The Pensacola area saw an unprecedented amount of snow Tuesday, shutting down schools, roads and businesses throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and breaking a 130-year record.
The band of snow over the western Florida Panhandle dropped 10 inches of snow in Milton, Florida, and 8.9 inches in Pensacola, the weather service office in Mobile, Alabama said Wednesday.
Highway 90 gridlocked, pleas renewed to stay of roads
Residents are asked to avoid any unnecessary travel overnight as multiple locations throughout Santa Rosa County are experiencing issues.
Per the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, Highway 90 at SA Jones Road is experiencing major gridlock due to an accident involving a semi. With I-10 currently shut down, traffic has increased along Highway 90 through Santa Rosa County. Residents are asked to avoid any unnecessary travel overnight, especially along Highway 90 in the East Milton area. If motorists must travel in that area, they are urged to use extreme caution, travel slowly and expect major delays.
SRC Public Safety has also been informed via the SRC Sheriff's Office that the Yellow River Bridge along Highway 87 South is icing over. It may soon become completely impassable.
Escambia County has 2,047 customers without power
Just before 7 p.m., power outages in Escambia County climbed from 19 customers to 2,047.
Santa Rosa County outages climbed slightly to 2,356.
FPL working to restore power to 2,000+ customers in Santa Rosa
Approximately 2,280 Florida Power & Light customers were without power as of approximately 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to FPL's online "Power Tracker" website.
The outages were concentrated in the East Milton region around State Road 87 and first reported about 6 p.m.
Elsewhere in the Panhandle outages were minimal.
About 19 customers in Escambia County are without power, and 10 total customer outages were reported among Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties.
An estimate on when power will be restored for East Milton residents was not immediately available. Wednesday morning, an FPL spokesperson said crews were working "around the clock" to restore power due to the cold conditions.
Interstate 10 closed all the way to Tallahassee
Per Florida Department of Transportation, Interstate 10 from the Alabama state line to Tallahassee is closed. Multiple government agencies warn of the significant danger on the roads tonight due to melted snow freezing in temperatures expected to dip to 15 degrees.
Roads tonight expected to be 'extremely dangerous'
Extremely dangerous road conditions will occur this evening due to the melted snow freezing throughout the area and the return of below-freezing temperatures, officials throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties warn.. Residents are urged to stay home as all roads and bridges will be considered impassable and highly dangerous. As roads become more slick with ice, first responders' response times are expected to decrease.
Pensacola International Airport expected to reopen Thursday
Commercial operations are expected to resume Thursday morning, including airline operations, TSA and concessions. However, travelers are advised to check with their individual airlines on scheduled departures and arrivals.
Navarre area saw much less snow than rest of Santa Rosa County
Milton wasn't the only Santa Rosa County community pelted with powder, four inches of snow also fell along the coast in Navarre, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile. The middle and northern portions of Santa Rosa County took the brunt of the hit in Tuesday's snow storm, said Emergency Management Director Tom Lloyd.
Try as they might, Lloyd said, emergency units could not respond in the midst of the chaos to the 699 911 calls and 554 administrative calls Santa Rosa County dispatchers fielded between 9 a.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"We tried to get out when we could, but there was a short period when we had to pause our responses to certain calls due to the weather conditions because we couldn't get out there," he said Wednesday afternoon. "We did follow up with everyone this morning."
Though Lloyd couldn't provide an exact number, a scan of sources such as the Florida Highway Patrol traffic accident tracker and the FL511 website provided ample evidence that despite stern warnings against doing so, drivers were venturing out into the snow Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and either getting stuck in the snow or having accidents, which occurred with consistent frequency all over Northwest Florida.
"We had several accidents," Lloyd said. "Fortunately none of them turned out to be major, and most were minor."
City of Milton plans to reopen Friday
Due to hazardous road conditions from extended freezing temperatures, all city of Milton offices will remain closed on Thursday, as below-freezing temperatures Wednesday evening into Thursday morning will create dangerous travel conditions.
City offices will resume normal operations on Friday. This closure also impacts all after-hours meetings, including the LEAP Committee Meeting and the City Council shade meeting, both of which will be rescheduled. In addition, all local schools and government offices, including those in Santa Rosa County, will remain closed.
The Police Chief Recruitment Committee meeting to discuss replacing retiring long-time Milton Police Chief Tony Tindall, which had been scheduled for Tuesday, has been reset for 2:30 p.m. Friday at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.
As of Wednesday, January 22, 2025, the bridges at Broad Street and Conecuh Street will remain closed. A reevaluation of the closures will occur on Friday morning.
UWF, PSC to close campus rest of week
The University of West Florida and Pensacola State College will also remain closed Thursday and Friday and reopen on Monday.
All campus activities, classes, events and online classes at UWF are cancelled. However, the university's Board of Trustees meeting set for 10 a.m. Thursday will be livestreamed via Zoom (Passcode: 022020) or wuwf.org/bot
At Pensacola State, all offices are closed, and all on-campus classes and activities will not be held. Online classes and synchronous online classes will continue as usual. Libraries on the Pensacola, Milton and Warrington campuses will reopen on Sunday.
Pensacola also breaks 90-year temperature record for daily low
The Pensacola International Airport reported temperatures as low as 18 degrees at approximately 6:53 a.m. Wednesday morning, with a wind chill of 7 degrees, which breaks a 90-year record for the daily low set in 1935 when it reached 20 degrees.
The National Weather Service had extended its extreme cold warning through Northwest Florida from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday, warning that dangerously cold wind chills could get as cold as 10 degrees.
To put those temperatures into perspective, the average daily temperature for Jan. 22 is 53.2 degrees, and the average low is 43.6 degrees.
Pensacola will see slightly warmer temperatures as the day goes on, with a high of 35 degrees, but temperatures will drop again to 23 degrees by Wednesday night. In Milton, the temperature is forecast to drop to 15 degrees.
Escambia County EMS responds to 246 calls since start of storm
Escambia County Public Safety is continuing to operate and respond to emergency calls, even during hazardous conditions in the midst of the snowstorm.
In the 24-hour period from 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, Escambia County EMS responded to 246 calls for service, and Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to 57 calls for service.
The emergency calls reinforce the need to residents to stay off the road so crews has respond quickly and safely during the weather emergency.
Pensacola snow total reached 8.9 inches, 10 inches in Milton
The updated final storm total snow for Pensacola is 8.9 inches, according to Jason Beaman of the National Weather Service. In Milton, the snow total hit 10 inches.
Escambia County Fire responds to 57 service calls since 9 a.m.
Public Safety is continuing to operate and respond to emergency calls, even during hazardous conditions in the midst of the snowstorm, with Escambia County Fire Rescue having responded to 57 calls for service between 9 a.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"Public Works crews worked diligently ahead of and during the storm to sand all bridges throughout Escambia County, working overnight from Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning," a news release said. "Crews are monitoring road conditions and sanding bridges after the snowstorm, while also continuing to work in dangerous conditions to make roads accessible for emergency vehicles to respond to calls."
Northwest Florida has been forecast to have below-freezing through a large part of the day Wednesday, and though prevailing sunny conditions could melt some of the snow, ice is expected to form after sunset which will allow icing of roadways. Residents are strongly urged to stay off the roadways.
"Emergency vehicles should be the only vehicles on the road until further notice," the update said. "Road conditions will remain hazardous."
Interstate 10 between Pensacola and Mossy Head at the eastern end of Okaloosa County remain closed and the county news release offered no timeframe for when the Florida Department of Transportation might reopen the thoroughfare.
Pensacola Bay Bridge reopens
Pensacola Bay Bridge, which closed Tuesday night, has reopened. Drivers are asked to use extreme caution as conditions are still hazardous. Only travel if vital.
Pensacola focused on clearing major roads
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves was out monitoring progress Wednesday morning as 44 work crews - 30 from the city and 14 from outside vendors - worked to de-ice 17 major roads across the city.
Reeves said the goal was to get the roads cleaned off and dry before sundown to prevent them from refreezing when the temperatures plunge again overnight. He said the intent is to keep the paths open for first responders, and he urged residents to keep the road clear for their own safety and for the safety of first responders and other citizens.
"We actually had a fire early this morning, and our response time was four minutes thanks solely to this effort. That outcome was the difference of having those roads clear and passable for our firefighters," Reeves said.
He added that snow plows, front-end loaders and ice spreaders deployed around the city would only be focused on main roads, and they would not be de-icing streets at the neighborhood level.
"But we're in contact with our healthcare providers yesterday and today, looking at some of what their needs are, access needs, getting staff in and out of there," Reeves said. "There's ways we can help, so we're looking at that."
Reeves said he couldn't speculate on exactly when the roads would be safe for general travel again, only that we'd need consistently warmer temperatures to get a meaningful snow melt. In terms of resuming normal city operations, he said, "We'll know a lot more based on the progress we make today."
Cold shelters extended until Sunday
The cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, at 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton, has expanded its hours of operation and will be open 24 hours from Wednesday, Jan. 22 until 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26.
No one will be admitted after 8:30 p.m. each night unless brought in by law enforcement. Only service animals (with verification of rabies vaccination) are permitted to stay with guests.
Santa Rosa County's cold weather shelter is operated by Ferris Hill Baptist Church utilizing volunteer resources and donations. It opens each night weather is forecasted to drop below 40 degrees, typically November through March.
The shelter is for people who are homeless or cannot maintain heat in their homes, can care for themselves, and are not at risk to themselves or others. No one will be admitted to the shelter who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, unable to walk unaided or disoriented.
Latest official snowfall in Pensacola is 7.6 inches; unofficial as high as 9.8 inches in N Milton
The National Weather Service’s most recent snow total for the city of Pensacola is 7.6 inches, registered at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday at Pensacola International Airport. NWS said it will take a few days to review all of the reports for a more accurate number.
That’s just under an inch less than the official total in nearby Milton.
Preliminary and unofficial reports show even higher snow totals – 9.8 inches in North Milton, 9.5 inches in Molino and 9 inches in Pace and Century.
"Determining the final state record will take some time. Anything at this point is unofficial. The state record won't be determined until a State Climate Extreme Committee meeting is held. We are still documenting all the reports, quality of the reports, etc. and that will then go to the committee for final determination of what the new state record will be."
Pensacola offices remain closed, residents urged to remain off roadways
City of Pensacola offices and facilities will remain closed and continue operating at reduced capacity Thursday due to unsafe road conditions. This includes city of Pensacola administrative offices, City Hall and city of Pensacola community resource centers.
City residents are reminded to stay off the roads as many roads and bridges are impassable from the snow or covered with ice.
The snowplows and front-end loaders worked overnight to de-ice, sand, and clear all 17 critical roads throughout the city. Today, the city's Public Works team is focused on keeping critical roadways accessible by clearing slushy-ice. Only one lane will be clear on many of the critical roads, so the public is asked to remain at home to prevent the delay of emergency responders.
Road Closures:
12th Ave. between Bayou Boulevard and Fairfield Drive
Davis Highway between Airport Boulevard and Langley Avenue
17th Ave at the railroad trestle
Ninth Avenue between Bayou Boulevard and Royce Street
Chappie James Jr. Bridge (Pensacola Bay Bridge)
Canceled Meetings
Hollice T. Williams Park Design + Expansion Community Kick-off Meeting, originally planned for Thursday, will be rescheduled to a later date.
Escambia County schools remaining closed Thursday and Friday
Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard has announced that schools and district offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday due to the effects of the historic winter storm impacting our area.
The National Weather Service forecasts cold weather remaining in the area overnight Wednesday and stretching into Thursday and early Friday, which could affect safe travel on area roads and bridges. In an abundance of caution, all schools, district offices and afterschool activities, including indoor and outdoor athletics, have been canceled for Thursday and Friday.
“We expect to resume normal district operations will on Monday, January 27,” stated Superintendent Keith Leonard. “Of course, we'll continue to work closely with local emergency operations officials to determine what is safest for our families and staff.”
District officials will continue to monitor weather updates, and members of the community are encouraged to do the same. If necessary, updates will be provided through local media, School Messenger, and the district website.
Frigid temperatures will persist
Northwest Florida emergency management officials are prognosticating bitter cold will persist through this morning and through the afternoon. An extreme cold warning set to expire at 10 a.m. Wednesday will likely be replaced by another by afternoon.
Wind chills are expected to remain in the single digits to teens for most of the day and air temperatures below freezing across most of the region. Road conditions are not anticipated to improve today and any lingering moisture will refreeze quickly after sunset.
Santa Rosa schools closed until Monday
The Santa Rosa County School District announced early Wednesday that its schools and district offices will remained closed for the remainder of the week.
District personnel have been monitoring road conditions and come to the conclusion that any snow melting through the day Wednesday would likely refreeze overnight and create hazardous driving conditions through the day Thursday and Friday, the release said.
"Due to unsafe road conditions for both staff and students, all schools and district offices will remain closed Thursday, Jan. 23 and Friday, Jan. 24, the district said in an emailed release.
The cancellations also apply to all afterschool activities, including before and after care programs through Community School, the release said.
Snow could remain through Thursday
The snow is expected to stick around through Wednesday and possibly into Thursday, according to Escambia County Emergency Manager Travis Tompkins.
The Three Mile Bridge remained closed early Wednesday, as did Interstate 10 in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. The I-10 closure extended from Pensacola to Mossy Head in Walton County.
While the Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Department did warn drivers to consider all roads impassible and to stay off of them due to potential life endangering conditions, it did report at around 7 a.m. that US Highway 90, State Road 87 and the Garcon Point Bridge "appear open with extreme caution."
The Florida Department of Transportation order to close the Three Mile Bridge came down about 8 p.m., and Santa Rosa County issued a statement to that effect at 8:27 p.m.
Escambia County bridge closures included the Lillian Bridge and the Theo Baars Bridge, road closures included Century Boulevard at the state line to Bluff Springs.
State Road 292 from the Bayou Chico Bridge to Weis Lane was closed. Jacks Branch Old Bridge was listed as closed, as was Highway 29 at Nine Mile Bridge Road.
https://www.pnj.com/story/weather/2025/01/22/northwest-florida-sees-8-8-inches-of-snow-roadways-remain-impassible/77874354007/