A rare winter storm buried the Deep South in a blanket of snow on Tuesday. Parts of South Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi saw more than 9 inches of snow on the ground, according to preliminary estimates from the National Weather Service.
Some areas recorded blizzard conditions for the very first time. Wind chill temperatures dipped into the single digits in some neighborhoods.
By early afternoon Tuesday, a layer of snow covered neighborhoods across New Orleans. Palm trees and live oaks were frosted over.
City, parish and state officials told residents to hunker down, and in some cases, ordered curfews as a safety precaution. Residents, stuck at home, took to the streets and made the best of the rare weather.
Uptown residents Nelle and John Nielsonhelped their son Clark make a snowman with Mardi Gras beads strung around its neck. The family made due with what they had in their garage for Clark’s snowplay adventure.
“We got the inner tube from the beach and we’ve been dragging him up and down the street,” Nelle Nielson said.
“We don’t have any sleds or anything, we just have to improvise,” said John.
“It’s been fun,” Clark said.
The weather shut down all parts of everyday life for residents. Transportation officials closed Interstate 10 and other major highways across southeast Louisiana. Louis Armstrong International airport cancelled over 600 flights. Government offices shuttered. Schools cancelled classes.
As of Tuesday afternoon, officials reported roughly 50 car accidents and warned drivers to stay off the road if possible. During a press conference, Gov. Jeff Landry warned residents not to get distracted by the “winter wonderland.”
“The fun is going to come to a quick end,” Landry said. “Get ready to be dangerously cold.”
Forecasters said they expect wind chill temperatures to drop to single digits over the coming days. That could lead to burst water pipes, power outages and other hazards, said Jay Grymes, Louisiana state climatologist.
“Widespread power outages, impacts to frozen pipes are going to be an issue across the state,” Grymes said. “Be ready to stay essentially housebound.”
Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans reported scattered outages throughout the day on Tuesday. One of the largest concentrations was in the New Orleans metro area, where more than 1,000 customers were without power. Power has since been restored to most customers.
Entergy crews also restored power to around 400 customers in the Baton Rouge area, and about 900 in the Lafayette and Lake Charles areas.
It’s still unclear whether the storm is on track to break records. The Gulf Coast’s last major winter storm happened in the 1960s. The state’s biggest snowfall on record was set in 1895, when Baton Rouge logged 12.5 inches of snow.
By late afternoon Tuesday, the NWS had recorded measurements of 8 inches in Baton Rouge, 9.5 inches in Orleans Parish, and over 8 inches in Ascension Parish.
New Orleans natives Sheeri Bornstein and Del Agnew ventured out of their Uptown home to take in the sight – and have a snowball fight. The two couldn’t remember seeing this much snow in the Crescent City in their lifetimes.
“It’s just wild to walk around,” Bornstein said.
The National Weather Service says the storm is expected to taper off by Wednesday, but with freezing temperatures, the snow cover will likely stick around through at least Thursday.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the Nielson family's names. WWNO regrets this error.
