A rare winter storm brought historic snowfall to New Orleans, shattering the city’s one-day snow total record and blanketing palm trees in a thick layer of flakes.
Historic Winter Storm Brings Rare Snowfall to New Orleans
A major winter storm brought blizzard conditions to Louisiana on Tuesday, turning New Orleans into a snow town. The record-breaking snowstorm blanketed palm trees in fresh flakes and halted the normally bustling Big Easy.
Rare Blizzard Conditions Hit South Louisiana
The powerful and deadly winter storm swept across the South on Tuesday, dumping heavy snow across areas that rarely see flakes or bitterly cold conditions. The storm prompted the National Weather Service to issue the first-ever Blizzard Warning for southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas.
New Orleans shattered its one-day snow total record by noon when Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport recorded 4 inches of snow. The new record breaks the Dec. 31, 1963 record of 2.7 inches, and the snow was still coming down Tuesday afternoon.
Palm Trees Sway in Wind Amid Near-Blizzard Conditions
The scene along Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans on Tuesday was surreal. Palm trees swayed in the wind amid falling snow and near-blizzard conditions, with wind gusts exceeding 45 mph. The Department of Transportation shut down the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge early in the afternoon because of the weather.
Road Closures and Travel Advisories
Parts of Interstate 10 remain closed due to the snowstorm. Louisiana DOT cameras showed snow blanketing the major interstate near New Orleans. Mayor-President of Baton Rouge Sid Edwards said it could take more than 48 hours for some roads to reopen.
“A lot of folks, of course, are not accustomed to driving in these conditions and they’re running off the road. And we’re having to send, you know, personnel out to get them to pick them up,” Edwards said.
Stay Safe During the Snowstorm
Officials are asking residents to stay home and enjoy the snow safely, instead of putting themselves and first responders at risk. “Please stay home and build your snowmen and do your snow angels. We have no problem with that. But we’re pleading with our citizens to stay off of the roads because we have several rescue operations out here. Again, we’re not really equipped. We don’t have a ton of snow plows in south Louisiana,” Edwards said.
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for New Orleans through Tuesday evening. Between 3 and 7 inches of snow is forecast through Wednesday.
