D.C. Reeves, the mayor of Pensacola, Fla., was out on Main and Eighth streets on Wednesday morning, talking to public works crews who plowed snow from the city’s major roads overnight. Northwest Florida saw record snowfall.
“I don’t know what the official number is yet,” Mr. Reeves said, “but you see tape measures all over Facebook: nine, 10, 11 inches.”
The mayor, who has been trying to learn quickly how to respond to such rare conditions in Florida, said that the last time he recalled seeing any significant snow on the ground in the city was in 1993, when he was 9. The previous record snowfall for Pensacola was three inches in 1895.
On Wednesday, the sky was blue and beautiful, but the temperatures remained low — 24 degrees — meaning the snow was unlikely to melt quickly. The city’s five rented snowplow crews would not be able to clear residential roads, Mr. Reeves said. Instead, they would scrape and salt major thoroughfares to try to prevent dangerous ice from forming again. Public schools planned to close for the rest of the week.
“We’re making good headway,” Mr. Reeves said.
The airport remained closed — some staff members slept there overnight, the mayor said — and officials continued to urge residents to stay home to allow crews to work and police and fire officials to respond to emergencies.
“My last call was to Waffle House,” Mr. Reeves said, “for 125 lunches going to public works and police that are out in the field.”
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