NEW ORLEANS – A historic and deadly winter storm that stretched over 1,500 miles blanketed the southern U.S. on Tuesday with historic snow totals, including the first-ever Blizzard Warning for the Gulf Coast and potentially record amounts of snow in Florida.
Snow totals reached numbers not seen in generations, if not lifetimes, across the South. Up to 4 inches in Houston, nearly 10 inches around New Orleans, and towns along the Florida Panhandle reporting some 5 to 12 inches. While the snow and ice totals were meager by northern standards, it was enough to paralyze travel throughout the region.
FIRST-EVER BLIZZARD WARNING ISSUED ALONG GULF COAST AS DEADLY WINTER STORM SLAMS TEXAS
Houston airports shutter amid winter storm
The rare bout with wintry weather first swept across southwestern Texas early Tuesday morning, leading to a crash involving “several fatalities” east of La Pryor, according to Uvalde County officials.
First responders said the icy conditions hampered the response to a deadly crash that occurred southwest of San Antonio.
Snow moved across major Texas cities later Tuesday, bringing snow and sleet to Austin and San Antonio before strengthening over southeastern Texas.
A thick blanket of snow fell across the Houston metro area as temperatures dropped into the 20s with wind chills in the teens. Schools and airports were closed and residents were encouraged to stay home in the dangerous conditions.
By mid-morning Tuesday, records were falling across Louisiana as most areas saw snowfall rates of an inch per hour. A first-ever Blizzard Warning was issued for parts of the Gulf Coast, including southeast Texas and southern Louisiana.
Parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi – paralleling the Interstate 10 corridor – saw more than 7 inches of snow Tuesday, while New Orleans’ airport reported 8″ of powder.
And in Ozark, Alabama, officials reported a death from a fatal crash during a period of icy weather on Tuesday.
SNOW BLANKETS NEW ORLEANS DURING HISTORIC GULF COAST WINTER STORM
New Orleans remained under a Winter Storm Warning – only the second time on record for Orleans Parish, where some 8″ of snowfall occured.
Parts of interstates 55, 10 and 12 in Louisiana closed for part of Tuesday due to hazardous winter conditions.
Beachgoers trade sand for snow
Locations along the Gulf Coast known for their marine activities and beaches were also in the snow globe created by the historic winter storm.
Snow blanketed beaches and palm trees from Galveston, Texas, to Biloxi, Mississippi.
The NWS office in Mobile reported 6.2″ of snow at Mobile Regional Airport, which broke their all-time snowfall record.
SEE IT: GULF COAST BEACHES COVERED WITH SNOW DURING HISTORIC WINTER STORM
Even Northwest and Northeast Florida and parts of southern Georgia saw snow, leading to road shutdowns, airport closures and breaking records.
Record-setting snow for Florida
Perhaps no place feels more in a surreal alternate universe than the Florida Panhandle, which is on track to shatter previous state records for snowfall.
While the official state record is 4.0 inches, unofficial snow reports across the Panhandle are well over that mark, with 8.8 inches reported in Milton and 6.5 inches reported along Pensacola Beach as of Tuesday evening.
“We used to think Blizzard Beach was a theme park in Orlando. It turns out that we may see some snow on our beaches throughout northwest Florida and even into Tallahassee and beyond,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
The main entrance to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola was closed on Tuesday due to icy road conditions created by the storm.
Winter weather effectively shut down the Jacksonville International Airport on Tuesday night. Airport officials expect it will reopen by noon Wednesday.
DeSantis said the state has over 250 Department of Transportation team members and nearly 200 pieces of heavy equipment ready to support with pre-staged items, including deicing chemicals and 11 snowplows.
“Believe it or not, in the state of Florida, we’re mobilizing snowplows,” he said.
