Rare snowfall in Florida Panhandle inspires drivers to do strange things, videos show

Never let it be said that Floridians are afraid of a little snow ... or a lot of it, for that matter.

Nearly 10 inches fell on parts of the Panhandle on Tuesday, Jan. 21, and rather than cower inside, some saw it as a perfect chance to go all Fast and Furious.

Doing doughnuts in the snow became a thing, judging by videos shared on social media, and the drivers were not shy about it.

“While on scene of a crash on 331 N, a deputy witnessed a driver doing doughnuts in the middle of the roadway and driving at a high rate of speed,” the Walton County Sheriff’s Office reported in a Facebook post.

“Make snow angels, not donuts.”

Many drivers who shared videos chose the safety of an empty parking lot to try stunt driving. This includes Marcus Reno Story of Pensacola who did it in a Tesla CyberTruck, and it looked just as strange as it sounds.

“World record! Most donuts in the snow in Florida! LOL. Couldn’t resist had to see what all it could do,” he wrote in a Jan. 21 Facebook post. “Felt like a teenager on a dirt road again. I won’t admit how many I did.”

Panhandle resident Dan DeLuca did something similar in a church parking lot, only his nausea-inducing video was from the inside looking out. He paired it with the 1980s Ratt song “Round and Round.”

“Not many people can say this, but I just enjoyed doing donuts in the snow in an Audi in Florida,” he wrote. “No matter how old I am, this will always be a must.”

And yes, there were cases on public roads where the horseplay turned dangerous.

A pickup truck was found nose-down in a creek along Florida Highway 20 in Walton County and a 911 caller reported the crash happened as the driver was doing doughnuts.

“Perhaps don’t zoomy zoom on the slicky slick so you don’t end up in the ditchy ditch,” the Walton County Sheriff’s Office posted.

“You may end up in the snowy snow waiting on a towy tow. ... Call us killjoys, but maybe enjoy the snow from the comfort of your own home today.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Rare snowfall in Florida Panhandle inspires drivers to do strange things, videos show."