The second winter storm of the year brought 1-2 inches of snow to Gainesville, but not the Gainesville Floridians may be thinking of.
Gainesville is the largest city in Florida’s Alachua County and the largest municipality with the name, but it shares the name with nine other cities. If you’ve seen photos of snow covering Gainesville towns over the past day, those photos are probably from Texas or Georgia.
Florida hasn’t seen any snow from either of the winter storms, even with temperatures dipping into the upper 20s across much of northern Florida. Gainesville has had relatively dry weather on nights where temperatures fell below 32 degrees.
The second winter storm, which The Weather Channel is calling Winter Storm Cora, has brought plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico that will produce downpours and potential thunderstorms through the Florida Panhandle on Friday, but temperatures won’t be cold enough for snow.
Where is Gainesville, Texas?
Gainesville, Texas, is a small city in Cooke County, which sits a little more than 70 miles north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It has a population of about 17,394.
Gainesville and other areas in Texas like Sherman and Bonham, are located in a part of Texas that was forecast to see the highest amount of ice and snow from Winter Storm Cora. Fox 4 KDFW reported that Gainesville received more than six inches of snow.
Where is Gainesville, Georgia?
Gainesville, Georgia, is located in Hall County. The city, which has a population of 42,296, is located just over 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
The Gainesville Times reported on Friday that the area began seeing snow, ice and freezing rain. According to the National Weather Service, the area will see a mixture of sleet and snow throughout Friday, with 1-2 inches of accumulation possible.
What is the weather like in Gainesville, Florida?
Here in the Sunshine State, Gainesville is experiencing a relatively warm day, with highs hitting near 66 degrees and lows around 53 degrees. Temperatures are expected to plunge again on Saturday, which is forecast to have a chance of showers and temperatures ranging from 58 to 37 degrees.
How will the winter storm impact Florida?
After fresh snow falls north of Florida on Friday, it will push cold temperatures further south into Florida. On Saturday, Floridians can expect cooler temperatures after Friday’s slight reprieve.
The Pensacola area will see heavy rainfall through Friday as Winter Storm Cora sucks moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and drops it across the Gulf Coast. AccuWeather warns that the rainfall could be heavy enough to trigger urban flooding in some areas.
How cold does it have to be to snow?
The conditions required to produce snow are typically generalized. Most people know that it needs to be at or below 32 degrees, which is considered the threshold for water to freeze. That’s not the only condition where snow can form, however.
Snow can still form even in temperatures as high as 33.8 degrees. There are occasions when a higher layer of atmosphere is slightly above freezing where the snowflake might start to melt as it passes through that layer but can still make it to the ground as snow.
Another special case is referred to as the “wet bulb” effect. The wet bulb temperature is the temperature air reaches when water evaporates into it. Snow can still manage to form if the height where the wet bulb temperature reaches freezing is less than 1,500 above the ground.
In both special circumstances, the snow will be wetter and stickier than traditional fluffy and dry snow.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: No, it didn’t snow in Gainesville, Florida. Here’s the mix-up.