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A major winter storm moved east on Wednesday, bringing heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain to parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The storm had already slammed Texas and blanketed the northern Gulf Coast with record-breaking snow.
In Florida, snow-dusted palms and icy streets greeted residents, including Lina Rojas, who had never seen snow like this before. “This is like… I don’t even know what to call it,” she said.
Dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills were expected to last over much of the week in the region. Authorities reported three deaths in the cold weather.
The snow and ice closed highways, including over 100 miles of the nation’s southernmost interstate in Louisiana and Florida. Hundreds of flights were grounded, and school was canceled or switched to remote learning for over a million students.
In New Orleans, a rare snowfall set a record, with 10 inches falling in some areas, far surpassing the city’s previous record of 2.7 inches. The city’s weather agency said it was a “historic snowfall” for much of the area.
The storm also brought winter weather to the Deep South, with snow and ice closing highways and causing travel dangers. The danger of travel was evident in Savannah, where a jackknifed truck closed part of the interstate, and in Charleston, where the airport and a major bridge were closed.
Some people took advantage of the impromptu sled runs on bridge overpasses, while others went pool-tubing down hills in Houston. In New Orleans, a high school teacher and his daughters went sledding down the Mississippi River levees on a yoga mat and a boogie board.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service said up to 5 inches of snow fell in Morehead City, North Carolina, and a record-setting 5.4 inches fell in Mobile, Alabama. The weather service also reported a state of emergency in New York counties with up to 2 feet of lake-effect snow and extreme cold expected around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
