Once-in-a-lifetime Southern snow eclipses records that stood for decades
- Share via
ATLANTA — Sun-soaked Florida and other parts of the South appear to have shattered snowfall records in what many are calling a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness sandy snowscapes on beaches, of all places.
So much of the white stuff piled up across the South that snowballs flew on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and children and parents who don’t own sleds used inflatable alligators, laundry baskets and yoga mats to slide down snow-covered Mississippi River levees.
Here’s a look at some of the heaviest snowfall totals around the South:
Milton, Fla.
A whopping 9.8 inches of snow fell near the small town of Milton, Fla., an amount that would smash the all-time Florida state record for snowfall from 1954, if confirmed.
“It’s an incredible, incredible event,” said Michael Mugrage, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mobile, Ala., where many of the highest snowfall totals from the region were reported. “It puts it in perspective how rare this is.”
The snow total near Milton is unofficial for now, and will be reviewed by the state’s climate office.
Milton is just northeast of Pensacola, where the official total of 7.6 inches recorded at the airport shattered the city’s previous all-time snow record of 3 inches set in 1895.
Residents across the country are bracing for dangerously low temperatures while the East Coast contends with a thick blanket of snow.
New Orleans
Ten inches fell in some places in the New Orleans area, smashing the city’s record of 2.7 inches from 1963, the National Weather Service reported. There was also an unofficial report of 11.5 inches of snow in Saint Bernard Parish east of the city.
Houston
Up to 4 inches of snow fell in the Houston area, a community that doesn’t own any snowplows. There was also a preliminary report of 6 inches of snow near La Porte, Texas, southeast of Houston.
Charleston, S.C.
More than 4 inches of snow fell in the Charleston area, where snow closed the airport and the massive Ravenel Bridge. The bridge was closed because when water freezes on the cables of the bridge, large chunks of ice can fall and smash vehicles below, authorities said.
Mobile, Ala.
At Mobile Regional Airport, 6.2 inches was recorded, breaking the city’s one-day snowfall record of 5 inches from Jan. 24, 1881, the weather service said. There were also several unofficial reports of more than 9 inches of snow in Gulf Coast communities outside Mobile.
A rare frigid storm is charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow, closing highways and grounding nearly all flights.
A preliminary snowfall total of 11 inches in the small town of Babbie in southern Alabama was among the highest reported nationwide, the weather service said.
It’s cold, y’all
The storm system that brought so much snow also sank thermometers into record-breaking territory across the Deep South. It was so cold Wednesday morning that it was warmer in Anchorage, Alaska, than it was in Atlanta, New Orleans, Charlotte, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., the weather service reported.
In Alabama, a low of 6 degrees tied the third-coldest low temperature on record for the city of Mobile, which was set in 1899, the weather service said.
In Louisiana, all-time records for low temperature were set in the cities of New Iberia and Lafayette, forecasters said. Wednesday’s low of 2 degrees in New Iberia broke a record that had stood since 1962. Lafayette’s low of 4 degrees broke a record that dates back to 1899.
Martin writes for the Associated Press.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
