NEW ORLEANS — A significant winter storm that recently impacted Texas and covered the northern Gulf Coast with an unprecedented amount of snow continued to move eastward on Wednesday. The storm brought heavy snowfall, sleet, and freezing rain to parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and the eastern Carolinas.
Major cities such as Jacksonville, Florida, were placed under weather warnings, expecting a mix of snow, sleet, and accumulating ice throughout Wednesday. Due to the adverse weather conditions, Jacksonville International Airport closed its operations Tuesday evening but announced plans to reopen around midday Wednesday. As a result of the storm, classes were suspended, and government offices remained closed for the day. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office warned residents to stay safe at home during the storm, highlighting that such winter weather is uncommon for Northeast Florida.
In eastern North Carolina, blizzard-like conditions were anticipated for the Outer Banks, with some areas forecasted to receive up to 8 inches (20.3 centimeters) of snow. The frigid temperatures, coupled with biting wind chills, are expected to persist in the region for much of the week, and reports indicate that three individuals have lost their lives due to the severe cold.
The combination of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the Deep South is a result of an influx of Arctic air that has plunged much of the Midwest and eastern United States into a deep freeze. Snowfall records were shattered when the first snow in more than a decade fell in New Orleans, with totals reaching up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in some areas, surpassing the previous record of 2.7 inches (6.8 centimeters) set in December 1963, as confirmed by the National Weather Service.
The weather agency joyfully proclaimed this historical snowfall, highlighting the unprecedented nature of the event. The snowfall forced the closure of highways, grounded virtually all flights, and disrupted schooling for over a million students who are more familiar with hurricane-related cancellations than snow days.
Houston also experienced snowfall, leading to the issuance of the first blizzard warnings for certain coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border. The normally sunny beaches in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida, became dusted with snow. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted the rare phenomenon, stating that the state was deploying snowplows.
Locals embraced the unusual weather, with activities ranging from snowball fights on Gulf Shores beaches to sledding in laundry baskets in Montgomery, Alabama, and pool tubing down snow-covered hills in Houston. New Orleans residents engaged in a mix of fun-filled activities including improvisational urban skiing along Bourbon Street, snowball battles among priests and nuns, and sledding on the snow-blanketed Mississippi River levees using various makeshift equipment.
Mobile, Alabama, recorded 5.4 inches (13.7 centimeters) of snow, breaking the city’s single-day snowfall record and approaching its all-time record. The impact of the storm on travel was significant, leading to more than 2,300 flight cancellations across the country as both airports in Houston halted operations, and most flights were cancelled at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport. Airlines were expected to resume flights on Wednesday.
In the Houston area, snowfall accumulation neared 4 inches (10 centimeters), prompting state transportation officials to deploy over 20 snowplows on nearly 12,000 lane miles, despite lacking its own dedicated snow removal equipment. As the storm approached, governors in states including Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida declared states of emergency, while numerous school districts also opted for closures.
Reports indicate that two individuals perished in Austin, Texas, due to the severe cold. Additionally, in Georgia, one person died from hypothermia. A state of emergency was declared across at least a dozen New York counties, expecting heavy lake-effect snow and extreme cold around the Great Lakes.
Meanwhile, in Southern California, where severe wildfires have historically caused tremendous destruction, there remains concern over dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds.
