Winter Storm Brings Record Snowfall in New Orleans and Moves Into Florida and the Carolinas

NEW ORLEANS—A significant winter storm that impacted Texas and covered the northern Gulf Coast with unprecedented snow continued eastward on Wednesday, bringing heavy snowfall, sleet, and freezing rain to parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and the eastern Carolinas.

Warnings were issued for major cities such as Jacksonville, Florida, where snow, sleet, and accumulating ice are anticipated through Wednesday. Jacksonville International Airport shut down due to the weather on Tuesday evening, with plans to reopen by midday Wednesday. Schools announced class cancellations, and government offices remained closed on Wednesday.

“Winter weather we’re not accustomed to is on the way in Northeast Florida,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office shared on Facebook. “The safest place you can be on Tuesday night and Wednesday is at home!”

In eastern North Carolina, drifting snow is anticipated, with near-blizzard conditions expected in the Outer Banks, where snow accumulations could reach up to 8 inches.

Dangerously low temperatures, coupled with frigid wind chills, are forecasted to persist throughout much of the week in the region. Authorities have reported three fatalities linked to the severe cold.

The heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain affecting portions of the Deep South coincided with a surge of Arctic air, plunging much of the Midwest and eastern U.S. into extreme cold.

Record-Breaking Snow Days

New Orleans experienced its first snowfall in over a decade, with Tuesday’s snowfall setting a new record for the city—10 inches in some locations, far exceeding the previous record of 2.7 inches set on December 31, 1963, according to the National Weather Service.

“What an incredible snow day!,” the weather service exclaimed in a social media update. “This snowfall will undoubtedly be remembered as historic for many.”

Road closures, flight cancellations, and school closures affected over a million students who are typically more familiar with hurricane dismissals than snow days.

Snow also made its way to Houston, leading to the issuance of blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border. Snow covered the pristine beaches of popular vacation spots such as Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida.

“Believe it or not, in Florida, we are activating snowplows,” remarked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Residents embraced the weather, enjoying snowball fights on Gulf Shores beaches, sledding in laundry baskets in Montgomery, Alabama, and pool-tubing down hills in Houston.

In New Orleans, urban skiing gained popularity on Bourbon Street, while priests and nuns engaged in playful snowball fights outside a suburban church, snowboarders raced behind golf carts, and makeshift sledders took to the snow-covered levees along the Mississippi River using kayaks, cardboard boxes, and inflatable alligators.

High school teacher David Delio and his daughters made their way down the levee on a yoga mat and a boogie board.

“This is a white-out in New Orleans; it feels like a snow-a-cane,” Delio stated. “We’ve had numerous hurricane days, but never a snow day.”

The nuns at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School near New Orleans encouraged their students to pray for a snow day, which they received on Tuesday, according to Rev. Tim Hedrick. He noted that the nuns challenged him to a snowball fight, which has gone viral with thousands of views on social media.

“It’s a fun way to demonstrate that priests and sisters are human too, and they can have a good time,” Hedrick commented.

In Mobile, Alabama, 5.4 inches fell on Tuesday, breaking the city’s single-day snowfall record of 5 inches set on January 24, 1881, and approaching the all-time record of 6 inches from 1895, as reported by the weather service.

Flight Cancellations, States of Emergency, and Fatalities

More than 2,300 flights nationwide were canceled on Tuesday, according to FlightAware.com. Both airports in Houston halted flight operations, and nearly all flights were canceled at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport. Most airlines planned to resume flight activities on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service indicated that up to 4 inches of snow fell in the Houston vicinity. Texas transportation officials reported that over 20 snowplows were deployed across nearly 12,000 lane miles in the Houston area, which does not have local or county snowplows.

Prior to the storm, governors from Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida—the Sunshine State—declared states of emergency, prompting many school systems to cancel classes on Tuesday. School closures were also anticipated in some coastal communities of North and South Carolina.

Austin officials confirmed two fatalities linked to extreme cold weather in the Texas capital. Specific details were not disclosed, but the city noted that emergency teams responded to numerous “cold exposure” cases.

In Georgia, one death attributed to hypothermia was reported.

A state of emergency was declared in over a dozen counties of New York, where lake-effect snow and severe cold are expected to linger around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Wednesday.

Santa Ana Winds Anticipated to Resume in Southern California

In Southern California, where wildfires have resulted in at least 28 deaths and extensive property damage, dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds continue to pose concerns.

By Gerald Herbert and David J. Phillip