Blizzard warning issued for areas of Louisiana
The Associated PressNEW ORLEANS —
A rare winter storm charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday has closed highways and airports and prompted the first blizzard warning for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
The storm is expected to scatter heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain around the Deep South as a blast of Arctic air plunges much of the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.
Nearly 2,000 flights within the U.S. or entering or leaving the country were canceled Tuesday with about 10,000 more flights delayed, according to online tracker FlightAware.com. In Texas, both Houston airports said that flight operations would be suspended starting Tuesday in expectation of hazardous conditions.
Lakesha Reed, manager of Beaucoup Eats catering in New Orleans, had plans to fly out Tuesday to cook for a Mardi Gras-style event in the nation's capital, but flights were canceled amid extreme cold. The 47-year-old New Orleans native said it was in the 30s early Monday afternoon in her port city, where near-freezing temperatures are rare.
“We can barely drive in the rain,” she said. “Last year, we wore shorts for Mardi Gras.”
Winter storm warnings extended from Texas to North Carolina on Tuesday, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected to move eastward through the region into Wednesday.
Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday.
The blizzard warning in effect until midday Tuesday was the first issued by the office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, according to meteorologist Donald Jones. Strong winds with heavier snow bands were reducing visibility, and areas across the Gulf South that rarely see snow are expecting near-record or record snowfall, Jones said.
“The last time we saw snow of this magnitude was way back in 1960, and prior to that, the previous snowfall record that even stands to this day was way back in 1895,” Jones said. “By modern standards this is going to be a historic and very memorable storm for this part of the world.”
Snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour or more were possible from eastern Texas to the western Florida panhandle and historic snowfall of 3 to 6 inches was forecast along the Interstate 10 corridor including Houston; New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida, according to the weather service. Heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected across Georgia, northern Florida and the eastern Carolinas from Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Forecasters warned the sub-freezing morning lows could threaten sensitive vegetation and exposed plumbing in areas unaccustomed to bitter cold.
Across Louisiana, officials urged residents to “stay home" and not "go sightseeing” during the storm, warning any road ice could make travel dangerous. The weather service warned power outages were possible in areas of significant snow and ice accumulation.
