It’s been snowing in Florida thanks to winter storm Grayson

Having been born and bred in the South suddenly makes me entitled to say, “Well, I never!” to all of the snow that’s impacting my native land right now. Winter storm Grayson has caused record-breaking snowfalls across the southern states—even in Florida, y’all!

According to The Weather Channel, the storm hit hard in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, causing the first measurable snow in Tallahassee, Florida, in more than 28 years and one of the heaviest recorded snowfall days in both Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina. These are supposed to be the places you migrate to in order to get away from winter weather! What’s a snowbird to do?

Florida residents were especially shocked to see large snowflakes falling from the sky on the morning of Jan. 3. Some folks caught video footage of the the rare incident, like the one below that was posted to Facebook.

Some Floridians planned for a snow day as soon as they heard the snowy forecast.

Many rushed outside to film the flurries while they had the chance. Seeing flakes falling in Central Florida certainly isn’t what they expected.

The Twitter user who shot the video below said there was 0.1 inches of snow measured on a roof in Tallahassee, which might sound like a joke in the Midwest but is basically a blizzard down there!

https://twitter.com/Meauxses_/status/948560487909920768

The freezing temperatures also caused power outages, pipes to burst and lots of ice.

https://twitter.com/AshleyANjax/status/948573355803889664

Winter storm Grayson made even the Sunshine State seem like a winter wonderland.

https://twitter.com/Road_2_Ft_Worth/status/948561745416777730

As of now, the storm seems to be moving north along the Atlantic coast, and is expected to bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to the New York and New Jersey area, according to NBC News. It’s being called a “bomb cyclone,” which is a low-pressure system that intensifies very quickly, so it’s certainly not just Florida and the South that’s being affected by this intense winter weather.

In fact, there are lots of places, people and even animals that are affected by the colder-than-normal temperatures creeping across the nation. For example, it’s so cold sharks that are dying. According to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, two sharks were found washed up on a beach in Massachusetts “likely stranded due to cold shock.” And this was before the bomb cyclone weather struck. Yikes!

Apparently, the weather outside is frightful—even in Florida—so be safe out there and stay warm!