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Rare winter storm turns deadly in the South as dig-out underway
Editor’s note: This file captures the news of the snowstorm across the South from Wednesday, Jan. 22. For the latest updates on the snow and frigid temperatures, follow USA TODAY’s coverage for Thursday, Jan. 23.
PENSACOLA, Fla. − Light snow fell on this panhandle city Wednesday as the last remnant of an unprecedented, deadly storm rolled out to sea after smashing snow records from here to New Orleans and casting a blanket of ice across a region not targeted by such a severe wintry assault in generations.
The storm’s impact will be felt for days in cities in the South unaccustomed to the deep freeze that has gripped most of the nation this week. About 20 million people across the region were under winter weather advisories and warnings, according to the National Weather Service.
The Florida capital of Tallahassee, which usually gets temperatures in the 60s at this time of year, is expecting an overnight low of 20 degrees. Sleet and snow-topped 2 inches in at least one location in Tallahassee, according to preliminary snowfall estimates from the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.
“This has been the worst winter storm to hit the Gulf Coast in decades,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
The dig-out, so common in the nation’s northern tier, was underway in earnest from Texas to Florida while challenged by a dearth of snow plows. Residents were urged not to travel on the iced-over roadways, and temperatures were expected to linger around freezing into Thursday.
The storm began its march Tuesday in Texas, blanketing highways and snarling traffic before making its way east. Neighboring Louisiana saw it first-ever blizzard warning. New Orleans International Airport recorded 8 inches of snow, triple the previous record set more than 60 years ago, the National Weather Service reported. Records fell in Alabama, and parts of Mississippi were hit with almost a foot of snow.
In Florida, the Pensacola area broke the state’s 130-year-old record for total snowfall. The National Weather Service reported 8.9 inches in Pensacola and 9.8 inches in Milton, both breaking the previous Florida record of 4 inches set in 1954.
“We plead with our with our residents to continue to stay off the road,” Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said. “They not only put themselves at risk, but they put our first responders at risk − and our ability to respond at risk.”
‘Crazy to see’:Parts of Gulf Coast get first-ever blizzard warning
Developments:
∎ Interstate 10 was closed Wednesday evening in both directions for about 200 miles from the Alabama-Florida state line to near Tallahassee because of the icy conditions on the road and expected freezing temperatures overnight.
∎ The 10 inches of snowfall in New Orleans on Tuesday shattered the previous official record of 2.7 inches in December 1963, although unofficially the February 1895 storm also dumped 10 inches at the city’s Audubon Park. The last time New Orleans received any measurable snowfall was 2009, according to the National Weather Service.
∎ In Alabama, 7.5 inches fell in Mobile, where such accumulations have not been seen in more than 60 years, according to the weather service.
Beyonsleigh, Taylor Drift and more:The amazing names plows adopt while pushing snow
Jacksonville Airport records first measurable snow since 1989
In its Record Event Report on Wednesday night, the National Weather Service confirmed that one-tenth of an inch of frozen precipitation, mostly in the form of sleet, fell at the Jacksonville International Airport just after 5 a.m. Wednesday.
While Northeast Florida experienced far less snow than the Florida Panhandle or Southeast Georgia — the Panhandle town of Milton recorded nearly 10 inches on Tuesday and Wednesday — the First Coast’s snowstorm ranks among Jacksonville’s top five snowfalls in National Weather Service archives dating to 1871.
Jacksonville’s last measurable snow before Wednesday occurred on Dec. 23, 1989, when 0.8 inches fell. The city’s record snowfall came on Feb. 13, 1899, when a winter storm dumped snow to the depth of 1.9 inches on Northeast Florida.
The National Weather Service also issued a Record Event Report for Alma, Georgia, which recorded its highest-ever single-day snowfall of 5 inches.
— Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
At least 12 deaths attributed to the storm
At least 12 people have died, seven of them in Texas. Near La Pryor, 100 miles west of San Antonio, five people were killed Tuesday in a crash in icy conditions. Two people also have died from cold exposure in Austin, officials said.
In Alabama, the Dale County Coroner’s office confirmed two deaths likely related to the weather − one in a car crash, the other in a house fire. And in Georgia, Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security Director Chris Stallings said a “critical needs” patient went outside and died of hypothermia.
A 19-year-old was killed Wednesday afternoon when his vehicle overturned into the icy waters of Cross Creek in North Carolina, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. Police spokesperson Rickelle Harrell said the weather conditions contributed to the crash and speed was not a factor.
Snow in Florida’s capital city a ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’
The storm brought a rare snow day to Tallahassee, shutting down practically the entire city and giving people a chance to throw snowballs or sleighs down a hill — some for the first time.
Local schools, universities, and state, local government agencies and Tallahassee International Airport had already planned to close for the day. But the sleet and snowstorm rendered Tallahassee an utter ghost town. Nearly every business in town closed, at least for the first part of the day, before a beaming sun began to melt some of the ice.
Outside, the usual traffic noise of honking horns and screeching tires was replaced by the sound of laughter as kids and the young-hearted alike played outside. The Flom sisters, Pandora, 18, and Kalliope, 15, rigged cardboard boxes with exercise bands to race down a frozen hill at Lafayette Park in Midtown.
“It’s hard to comprehend that this is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” the older sister said as she wiped ice from her smile.
— Jeff Burlew, Douglas Soule, Ana Goñi-Lessan, and Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat
Snow collapses old Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama
The roof of the Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama, a building that was in the process of being demolished, collapsed under the weight of the snow Wednesday morning, the city said in a Facebook post.
“The collapse occurred in a manner consistent with the plans for the building’s ongoing demolition,” the city said. “Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the mosaic murals were undamaged.”
The port city received 7 1/2 inches of snow Tuesday as part of the massive storm hitting the Gulf Coast states. WKRG-TV showed drone footage of the collapsed roof in a building whose demolition started in September.
Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver
Tallahassee sees a winter Waffle House indicator
In Florida, Tallahassee police have advised residents to stay off icy roads. But a handful of brave patrons made their way to one local Waffle House on Wednesday morning – bundled up, clutching fresh cups of coffee to warm their hands for the walk back home. The full menu wasn’t available, but Tallahassee’s Waffle Houses were serving the “Emergency Bowl Menu.”
Customers could enjoy a bacon, egg and cheese bowl with their hash browns. Best known for being an indicator of how severe a hurricane threat is, the Waffle House easily withstood the Florida winter storm threat in Tallahassee.
Waffle House said the limited menu is designed to accommodate lower staffing levels and to serve guests quickly. The chain’s website shows eight 24-hour locations in and around the city.
− Kyla A. Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat
For Houston resident, snow makes her feel ‘like a kid inside’
Not since elementary school had retired truck driver Thelma Foster seen the snow fall the way it did Monday night in Houston.
“I just started feeling all warm like a kid inside,” Foster, 55, told USA TODAY.
Foster was prepared for any possible power outages with portable generators and camping heaters from her planning for Hurricane Beryl last year. She’s staying off the roads and has spent the last few days enjoying the powdery snow from her apartment window with coffee in hand, wrapped in a blanket. This, she said, is the best way to take in the frigid weather.
“I’ve been taking in every moment,” Foster said. “I’ve really enjoyed it.”
− Sam Woodward
Storm will be costly to businesses
AccuWeather issued a preliminary estimate of $14-$17 billion across the South for total damage and economic loss from the snow, ice and extreme cold. Porter noted that businesses have been forced to shut down, in some cases for days, and supply chain and shipping logistics have been severely disrupted.
“With the cold remaining in place, the impacts and interruptions from this winter storm will be felt for days to come,” Porter said.
Concern for the homeless in Pensacola
In Pensacola, transit bus drivers provided free transportation to area cold weather shelters that made room for record numbers of people. Waterfront Mission staff moved all the furniture out of its lobby to make room for emergency cots and pallets.
Pensacola police have been reaching out to people who stay in camps or on the streets asking whether they need help or a ride to a shelter. For those who refuse, police offer them donated blankets and sleeping bags.
“We have officers out there patrolling, and if they’re contacted by anyone that wants assistance, we’re going to transport them to any shelter that’s available that’s open,” officer Gregory Gordon said. “We’re going to get them off streets.”
Stunning snowfall totals sweep across South
Babbie, Alabama, 100 miles northeast of Pensacola, claimed the region’s highest snow total with 11.5 inches reported, according to the National Weather service snowfall report. Lafayette, Louisiana, checked in at 10.5 inches.
Milton led the way in Florida, but several locations reported 9 inches − as did Cordele, Georgia, 160 miles south of Atlanta. In Texas, La Porte outside Houston recorded 6 inches, and in Mississippi, Evanston reported 5 1/2 inches.
Still, a more likely community topped the weather service list: 48 inches fell in Rodman, N.Y.
Storm brings havoc to air travel
Air travelers are continuing to feel the effects of a rare winter storm that swept across the Southeast on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 1,800 U.S. flights were canceled and another 3,100 others were delayed as of 4:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Those cancellations include hundreds of flights to and from George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports in Houston, which both planned to resume operations later Wednesday after temporarily suspending them for the storm. Cities such as New Orleans, Charleston, South Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida, were also seeing major cancellations. Read more here.
− Zach Wichter and Eve Chen
What are your rights?What happens if your flight is delayed or canceled?
Generational storm slams Gulf Coast – and ‘there are no plows’
The snowstorm currently lashing the Gulf Coast – which included the first-ever blizzard warning in Louisiana – is being described as a once-in-a-generation weather event, the National Weather Service said Monday. How rare is snow for some of these Southern cities?
“This will be the most significant winter storm the Greater Houston area has experienced since at least 1960,” the weather service in Houston said.
Elsewhere, New Orleans hasn’t seen measurable snowfall since 2009. And it has been 35 years for Jacksonville.
“This will be an historic snowfall for the Gulf Coast,” noted meteorologist Paul Douglas on X, who added that in many parts of that region, “there are no plows – they will pretty much wait for the snow to melt (which happens later this week).” Read more here.
− Doyle Rice
How rare is this Southern snowstorm?Texas, Louisiana, Florida blanketed by snow
Rare snow in Louisiana is a thrill for this family
For 21-year-old meteorology student Gabriel Hebert, a once-in-a-lifetime winter storm in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, isn’t just a snow day, but a great learning opportunity.
“I’m so thrilled,” he told USA TODAY. “This is my favorite kind of weather.”
Hebert had been monitoring the storm for a few days, staying up late to track snowfall. In preparation, his family left open their cabinets to prevent pipes from freezing, have all agreed to stay off the roads and stocked up on essential food for the days ahead.
“We don’t know how to prepare for anything like this,” Hebert said. As the snow fell and his family bunkered down, his young siblings relished the first. “I just want to enjoy this time with my family, watching them make snow angels and snowmen,” he said.
− Sam Woodward
In New Orleans, ‘taking time to really sit and enjoy it’
New Orleans resident Claire Spenard has had her fair share of snow days from her time growing up in Rochester, New York. At first, she thought the weather predictions of a frozen landscape in the South were a hoax. Now watching schools and major highways close, she regrets failing to buy a shovel before the storm hit.
“It reminds me of being home, and I never thought I would say that,” Spenard told USA TODAY.
The 23-year-old ballet teacher and server described a ghost town of a city sprinkled with excited children seeing snow for the first time, making snowmen and walking in the middle of roads untouched by cars.
Her advice for those not used to braving the cold? Yield to the occasional vehicle and soak up the wonder.
“Sit and watch, ’cause it’s really beautiful,” Spenard said. “And I think that’s what a lot of people here are doing, they’re taking time to really sit and enjoy it, ’cause that’s what people in New Orleans do about most things.”
− Sam Woodward
Contributing: Troy Moon, Edward Bunch III, and Tom McLaughlin, Pensacola News Journal; Jeff Burlew, William L. Hatfield and Douglas Soule, Tallahassee Democrat; Joseph Pierre, Fayetteville Observer; Reuters
Winter storms are a common occurrence in the northern parts of the United States, but when they hit the usually temperate South, the effects can be devastating. A rare winter storm that swept through the Southern states has already proven deadly, with multiple fatalities reported and many more injured.
The storm brought heavy snowfall, icy roads, and freezing temperatures to areas that are not equipped to handle such conditions. In states like Texas, where winter weather is a rarity, the infrastructure and resources are not in place to effectively deal with the aftermath of the storm.
As the storm passes and the sun comes out, residents in the South are now faced with the daunting task of digging out from the snow and ice. Power outages have left many without heat or electricity, making the situation even more dire.
Emergency crews are working around the clock to clear roads, restore power, and provide aid to those in need. It will be a long and difficult road to recovery for the Southern states affected by this rare winter storm, but the resilience and strength of the community will surely shine through in the days ahead.
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