NEW ORLEANS — A significant winter storm recently impacted Texas and the northern Gulf Coast, delivering record levels of snow. The storm moved eastward overnight, unleashing heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain across regions such as the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and the eastern Carolinas.
Areas under weather warnings included major cities like Jacksonville, Florida, which is anticipating snow, sleet, and dangerous ice accumulation through Wednesday. In response to the inclement weather, Jacksonville International Airport ceased operations on Tuesday evening, with plans to resume flights by noon on Wednesday. Schools announced class cancellations, and governmental offices across the city were also closed.
“We are expecting some winter weather we’re not used to in Northeast Florida,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office articulated on Facebook. “The safest place you can be Tuesday night and Wednesday is at home!”
In eastern North Carolina, certain areas experienced intense drifting snow likely leading to near-blizzard conditions, especially in the Outer Banks, where snow accumulations of up to 8 inches are predicted.
The region was also bracing for perilous below-freezing temperatures combined with chilling wind chills, which are expected to persist for much of the week. So far, authorities have reported three fatalities linked to the extreme cold conditions.
The heavy winter precipitation affecting portions of the Deep South coincided with an influx of Arctic air that has enveloped much of the Midwest and eastern United States in extremely low temperatures.
In New Orleans, snowfall on Tuesday reached record levels for the city, where some areas saw as much as 10 inches, far exceeding the previous record of 2.7 inches set on December 31, 1963, according to the National Weather Service.
“Wow, what a snow day!” the weather agency proclaimed via social media. “It’s safe to say this was a historic snowfall for much of the area.”
The snow caused highway closures, grounded nearly all flights, and resulted in school cancellations affecting over a million students who are more accustomed to hurricane-related closures than snow days.
Snow also fell in Houston, prompting the first blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border. The normally sunshine-filled beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida, were transformed as snow blanketed the sand.
“Believe it or not, in the state of Florida we’re mobilizing snowplows,” stated Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Communities embraced the unusual weather, engaging in various winter activities, such as snowball fights on Gulf Shores beaches and sledding in laundry baskets across Montgomery, Alabama. In Houston, individuals found creative ways to enjoy the snow, tubing down hills.
New Orleans showcased its own unique winter celebrations, with locals attempting urban skiing along Bourbon Street. A priest and nuns were spotted involved in a playful snowball fight outside a suburban church. Urban sledding down the levees also became a popular activity, with residents using kayaks, cardboard boxes, and inflatable alligators.
High school teacher David Delio and his daughters entertained themselves by sliding down the levee on yoga mats and boogie boards. “This is a white-out in New Orleans, this is a snow-a-cane,” he humorously remarked. “We’ve had tons of hurricane days but never a snow day.”
At St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School near New Orleans, nuns encouraged students to pray for snow, resulting in a snow day that garnered much excitement. The Rev. Tim Hedrick recalled inviting the nuns to make snow angels, and in a playful turn, they challenged him to a snowball fight that quickly gained popularity on social media.
Mobile, Alabama recorded 5.4 inches of snow on Tuesday, breaking its previous daily record of 5 inches set in 1881, edging closer to the all-time snowfall record of 6 inches established in 1895, as reported by the weather service.
Flight cancellations soared, with more than 2,300 flights impacted nationwide on Tuesday according to flight tracking services. Both airports in Houston suspended operations, along with most flights at New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport, though airlines planned to resume services by Wednesday.
In Houston, approximately 4 inches of snowfall was measured. Texas transportation officials reported over 20 snowplows operating across nearly 12,000 lane miles, as the city lacks its own municipal snow removal vehicles.
In anticipation of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida declared states of emergency, prompting several school systems to close down on Tuesday. Some coastal regions in North and South Carolina are also facing school cancellations.
In Austin, Texas, two fatalities have been confirmed due to the harsh cold weather, although details remain sparse. Reports indicate that emergency services responded to numerous incidents related to cold exposure. Additionally, one hypothermia-related death occurred in Georgia.
A state of emergency has also been instituted in various counties across New York, with expectations of up to 2 feet of lake-effect snow and severe cold around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie continuing through Wednesday.
Meanwhile, California’s Southern region is bracing for the return of Santa Ana winds, where dry conditions and the aftermath of wildfires are raising concerns.
