Temperatures well below normal took over the Southern United States as a winter storm began to spread heavy snow and dangerous ice across a region stretching from Texas to northern Florida, where such weather is rarely seen. The cold front had residents rushing to insulate pipes, check heating systems, and stock up on emergency supplies.
On Tuesday morning (21), areas from southern Texas to Houston and New Orleans were covered by a rare snowstorm.
New Orleans had not seen accumulated snow in 15 years.
The city’s major highways and bridges were closed on Tuesday (21). Many roads became impassable. Classes were canceled in local schools, and many businesses could not open as the snow essentially paralyzed a region accustomed to facing the fury of weather but not so much snow.
Other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and northern Florida also faced winter storm warnings.
Those who left the northeastern U.S. and moved to northern Florida hoping to never see snow again were in for a big surprise.
A large part of the Panhandle region in Florida received more snow from one storm than Massachusetts did during its most recent snowstorm.
The official total from the National Weather Service Mobile was 7.6 inches of snow in Pensacola. And some smaller cities around Pensacola received up to 9.8 inches.
Although they did not receive much snow this week, in other parts of the country, populations from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine shivered due to extremely cold temperatures caused by an Arctic air mass that drove temperatures well below normal, with dangerously cold winds.
Record low temperatures are expected until Thursday (23) for two-thirds of the eastern U.S., and the wind chill could reach 40-55 degrees (F) below zero in some areas.
The last time polar cold severely hit the southern U.S. was in February 2021, when nearly the entire country was under a winter storm warning.
Source: CBS News