A significant storm swept through the Florida Panhandle, parts of Georgia, and the coastal Carolinas on Wednesday, bringing heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain. This storm followed record-breaking snowfall in Texas and Louisiana, providing a mix of unexpected hazards and wintertime fun for many residents.
Winter weather alerts were in place for major cities including Jacksonville, Florida, which anticipated snow and ice accumulation, and Atlanta, where icy streets persisted. Jacksonville International Airport announced it would remain closed until midday Wednesday, while various schools across at least eight states canceled classes and government offices suspended operations.
Tallahassee awoke to snow-covered palm trees and icy road conditions on Wednesday morning. Local resident Lina Rojas and her dachshund Petunia, bundled in a vest and protective “pup gloves,” were experiencing such snowfall for the first time—much more than the light dusting seen in Florida’s capital in 2018.
Erasing dangerous cold temperatures with severe wind chills settled in across the Deep South, with the cold weather linked to at least three fatalities. An outbreak of Arctic air further descended upon a large portion of the Midwest and eastern United States, grounding hundreds of flights and closing schools for over a million students who were more accustomed to hurricane evacuations than snow days.
Interstate travel faced significant disruptions, with over 100 miles of I-10 closed in Louisiana and Florida, affecting routes around Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lake Pontchartrain. Elevated roads and bridges were particularly susceptible to icing.
Louisiana’s Governor Jeff Landry urged residents to remain cautious, acknowledging the snow day on Tuesday as “magical,” but emphasizing the dangers that lay ahead on Wednesday. “I hope we can conclude this winter weather event with minimal damage and no loss of life,” he stated.
A live state Department of Transportation feed showed empty stretches of highways on Wednesday morning. Teams worked tirelessly to lay down salt on elevated sections of road, with Landry expressing gratitude to Arkansas for dispatching plowing equipment and support vehicles.
As dawn broke, most highways in Georgia appeared desolate, where traffic cameras highlighted the icy conditions in numerous locations. The usual sounds of rush hour were replaced by an eerie quiet in suburban Atlanta. Savannah also faced travel hazards, including a jackknifed truck that stalled traffic at a key interchange after snowfall.
Charleston’s airport closed, along with the significant Ravenel Bridge, a vital structure connecting the city to nearby coastal regions. Experts noted that the bridge’s cables tend to retain moisture, leading to dangerous ice chunks when it thaws, resulting in a delayed reopening.
Despite the gloomy weather, many embraced the rare snow. Individuals turned the Ravenel Bridge’s slopes into makeshift sledding hills. Kids in North Carolina’s Outer Banks slid down snow-covered sand dunes, while adults struggled through waist-deep snow drifts where the Wright Brothers once took flight.
The barrier islands received more snow than usual, with some areas amassing up to nine inches, causing service disruptions for ferries. “It’s rare to receive such snow; it’s possibly a once-in-a-decade event,” said Ryan Thibodeau, vacation rental co-owner. “We have snow drifts reaching three feet due to fierce winds, and our lack of snow plows means we aren’t well-equipped for this.”
Snow even fell in Houston, marking the first-ever blizzard warnings for coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border. Areas like Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida, saw their sandy beaches blanketed in white, while in South Carolina, snow reached from Hilton Head Island to Myrtle Beach, creating unconventional opportunities for winter fun on the shore.
Enthusiastic residents partook in various activities, from snowball fights at Gulf Shores to sledding with laundry baskets in Montgomery, Alabama, and tubing down Houston slopes. In Metairie, Louisiana, several nuns engaged in a playful snowball fight with a priest, while one adventurous individual practiced ice hockey in the streets of New Orleans.
New Orleans recorded a historic snowfall, surpassing a decade’s absence of snow with a drop of 10 inches in some areas, breaking the previous record of 2.7 inches set on December 31, 1963, as reported by the National Weather Service. Amid the winter wonderland, locals sought creative ways to enjoy the snow, with some attempting urban skiing on Bourbon Street and others sledding down levees using everyday items.
Mobile, Alabama, experienced 5.4 inches of snow, breaking its previous one-day record of 5 inches set in 1881, as the region’s weather service confirmed.
As the storm progressed, flight cancellations surged, with over 1,300 flights grounded and more than 900 delayed by Wednesday morning. The airports in Houston aimed to resume operations after delays, while New Orleans showed signs of recovery as airlines prepared to restart services. Over 132,000 customers found themselves without power across the affected areas, with agencies working to restore services as quickly as possible.
Ahead of the storm, emergency declarations were made by governors in states including Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida. “Believe it or not, we are dispatching snowplows in Florida,” Governor DeSantis reported.
Tragically, the cold claimed lives, with two fatalities in Austin attributed to the weather, including one hypothermia case in Georgia. Meanwhile, the northern states faced additional challenges, with numerous lake-effect snow warnings prompting emergencies in various counties surrounding Lakes Ontario and Erie.
In Southern California, conditions remained concerning due to Santa Ana winds exacerbating existing dry spells and posing further risks of blazes.
