Editor's Note: This is part of the News Bulletin's continuing coverage of Crestview's 100th anniversary.
CRESTVIEW — If the weather outside is going to be frightful, some residents, especially young ones, figure it might as well just snow.
Several times in Crestview’s history, it’s done just that.
The Jan. 29, 2014 ice storm is still a recent memory for most residents, but long-time residents still fondly recall occasions when North Okaloosa County had a rare dusting — and sometimes more — of the powdery white stuff.
THE SNOWSTORM OF '10
The most recent snowfall with significant accumulation was Friday, Feb. 12, 2010. Schools were to remain open, then-Oakloosa School District Superintendent Alexis Tibbets said Feb. 11, since Eglin Air Force Base would be open.
But when snowflakes started falling faster and longer, parents checked their kids out of school; many took them to Alabama — where it had been snowing longer — for the opportunity to play in a winter storm.
Others stayed in town and frolicked, some heading to Twin Hills Park to try sledding with cardboard sheets.
CNN shared video shot in Antioch Elementary School’s playground, showing children running around in snow, most for the first time in their lives.
With Northwest Florida’s flurries, every state, including Hawaii, experienced snowfall.
A half-inch of snow more — spawned by an Alberta clipper storm — followed Feb. 14 in parts of the area.
PREVIOUS LOCAL SNOW FALLS
Other North Okaloosa County snowfalls include:
●Dec. 25, 2004: Some area communities receive a dusting for Christmas
●March 12, 1993: The “Storm of the Century” drops up to 4 inches on the area. "The 'no-name' March hurricane created wind gusts over 90 mph, tornadoes, and a devastatingly deadly storm surge," the National Weather Service's website states.
●Dec. 24, 1989: More than 3 inches accumulate
●Jan. 17, 1977: A storm over Canada’s Atlantic coast pushes severe cold weather into the area, with snow starting in Pensacola and heading east, as far south as West Palm Beach.
●Feb. 9, 1973: Two inches accumulate in Pensacola, with nearly an inch more in Crestview and even more in Laurel Hill
●March 6, 1954: Four inches of snow accumulate in 24 hours in Milton, with slightly less east in the Crestview area
●Jan. 22, 1935: An overnight snowstorm drops about 1 inch
●Feb. 12 and 13, 1899: Temperatures fall to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and freezing rain turns to snow in The Great Blizzard of 1899, with accumulations up to 2 or more inches
●Jan. 14, 1892: About .4 inches
●Jan. 5, 1887: About an inch of snow falls
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Snowfall in Crestview (PHOTOS, VIDEO)