A historic snowstorm is sweeping across the southern United States, covering Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida in snow, and causing chaos on roads, in airports, and across communities. The rare weather event has already claimed at least four lives, authorities report.
In Texas, multiple fatalities were reported after a major highway accident in Zavala County. Louisiana State Police responded to over 50 crashes on Tuesday, urging residents to stay off the roads. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge near New Orleans has also been closed due to dangerous conditions.
Meanwhile, Alabama officials declared roads in three counties impassable, while airports across the South, including Houston and Tallahassee, canceled more than 2,100 flights nationwide. The snowstorm has brought record-breaking snowfall to areas unaccustomed to such conditions, told FOX 32 Chicago.
New Orleans saw up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow in some places, shattering its previous record of 2.7 inches set in 1963. The National Weather Service (NWS) called the snowfall “historic,” adding in a social media post, “Wow, what a snow day!”
The storm has also led to the issuance of the first-ever blizzard warnings in parts of Texas and Louisiana. In Houston, up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow fell, with Texas transportation officials deploying more than 20 snowplows across 12,000 lane miles.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the mobilization of snowplows in his state as snow blanketed Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida. Tragically, two deaths due to cold exposure were reported in Austin, Texas, and another hypothermia-related fatality occurred in Georgia.
Wind chills have dropped temperatures to single digits in many areas, compounding the danger. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson urged residents to stay indoors, saying, “We don’t do cold and we don’t do ice well. If you don’t have to go outside, don’t. Stay home.”
School closures spanned the region, from New Orleans to Houston and Savannah, with several North and South Carolina coastal communities also canceling classes. Residents, however, found ways to enjoy the rare snowfall, engaging in snowball fights on Gulf Coast beaches, sledding in household items, and even playing hockey in New Orleans.
Meanwhile, the Northeast is also bracing for significant snowfall, with up to 2 feet expected near Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. States of emergency have been declared in over a dozen New York counties. This extraordinary storm highlights the stark contrast between the South’s usual warm climate and the rare, extreme cold and snow, leaving communities grappling with both challenges and fleeting moments of joy.