A historic snowstorm hit the Gulf Coast this week, leaving a lasting impact on cities like Houston, New Orleans, and others across the southern U.S. The storm, which broke snowfall records dating back more than a century, covered a wide area from Texas to the Carolinas, with some locations seeing snow totals that exceeded those in typically snowy cities. Lafayette, Louisiana, recorded 9 inches of snow, surpassing Chicago’s winter total of 8.9 inches.
New Orleans saw its heaviest snowfall in decades, with the Louis Armstrong International Airport reporting 8 inches, breaking the city’s record for snow since official records began in 1948. Meanwhile, Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, also set new snowfall records. Florida experienced its all-time snow record for any storm, with Milton in the Panhandle seeing 9.8 inches. The storm’s effects were felt in places that rarely experience snow, creating hazardous travel conditions and prompting state emergencies in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The snowstorm also brought rare occurrences, including the first-ever blizzard warning issued for the Gulf Coast. In some areas, “thundersnow” was observed, and regions like Lafayette reported as much as 9.5 inches by afternoon. Lafayette and Rayne, Louisiana, broke state records, and Grand Coteau’s 13.4 inches may surpass Louisiana’s 24-hour snowfall record of 13 inches set in 1960.
The storm caused significant disruptions, with schools and businesses shut down, and a preliminary economic loss of $14-$17 billion due to snow, ice, and extreme cold. At least 11 fatalities have been reported, including several from icy crashes in Texas. The rare snowstorm, which turned cities like Houston into “ghost towns” early Tuesday, is expected to leave lasting memories for many, some of whom witnessed snow for the first time in their lives.
