The Gulf Coast is reeling from an extraordinary snowstorm that swept across states like Texas, Florida, and beyond, leaving communities stunned and struggling to recover. This rare winter blast, which locals are calling a once-in-a-lifetime event, has brought record-breaking snowfalls, travel chaos, and tragically, at least 10 reported deaths.
The snowstorm has turned roads into danger zones, with fatal car crashes and cases of hypothermia reported as temperatures plunged far below normal. Texas bore the brunt of the storm, with seven deaths, followed by Alabama with two fatalities, and one reported in Georgia.
Air travel didn’t fare much better, with over 2,000 flights canceled Tuesday and another 1,800 on Wednesday. The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport even shut down all departing flights as the storm paralyzed the region.
In Georgia, particularly around Atlanta, the situation became so dire that DeKalb County declared a state of emergency, urging residents to stay home. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on icy roads, preventing emergency crews from getting where they were needed.
For many areas, the snowfall wasn’t just unusual—it shattered records. Florida saw its heaviest snowfall ever, with 9.8 inches in Milton, just northeast of Pensacola. Nearby Pensacola also hit a new high with 8.9 inches of snow. Texas, meanwhile, was under its first-ever blizzard warning, with Beaumont recording a staggering 5.2 inches of snow, the most in its history.
Other places in the South saw jaw-dropping snow totals too. Mobile, Alabama, recorded 7.5 inches, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, got 7.6 inches, and New Orleans was blanketed with 8 inches—the city’s snowiest day since 1895.
And the winter punch isn’t over yet. With frigid air gripping the region, the snow isn’t melting anytime soon. Around 11 million people across the South are under cold weather alerts, and multiple record-low temperatures have already been logged, with even colder mornings expected on Thursday.
This historic storm has brought chaos, heartbreak, and jaw-dropping sights to a part of the country more used to palm trees and sunshine than snowplows and ice scrapers. For now, the South is bundling up and bracing for what comes next.
