Residents of the Big Easy woke up to a winter wonderland today as snow blanketed the streets of New Orleans in a once-in-a-lifetime event. The rare snowfall, a sight not seen in the city for decades, brought a sense of magic and awe to all who witnessed it.
Children gleefully built snowmen in their front yards, while adults marveled at the beauty of the snow-covered trees and rooftops. Locals took to social media to share photos and videos of the unexpected snowstorm, with many expressing their excitement and disbelief at the surreal scene.
For a city known for its warm weather and Mardi Gras celebrations, this unexpected snowfall was a welcome surprise. Despite the challenges it may bring, such as icy roads and power outages, the snowfall brought a sense of unity and wonder to the community.
As the snow slowly melts away and life in New Orleans returns to normal, residents will always remember this rare and magical day when the city was transformed into a winter wonderland. A once-in-a-lifetime experience that will be cherished for years to come.
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New Orleans snowfall, rare snow in New Orleans, Louisiana snowstorm, historic New Orleans snowfall, southern snowstorm, snow in the South, New Orleans winter weather, snow in Louisiana, record snowfall in New Orleans
For much of the Gulf Coast, the snowstorm that’s expected to end soon was a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm.
Many areas saw more snow than they have in at least 130 years, making this truly a historic event.
Florida just saw the most snow on record, with a preliminary 8.8 inches observed in Milton, which is north of Pensacola. This is the highest snow total on record for the state, according to the National Weather Service.
An ABC News graphic shows the radar for the southeastern United States at 5 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.
ABC News
Snow reports from the last 24 hours include about 1.2 inches in Houston, Texas. That’s the official number because it was taken at the city’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, but the southeast part of the city saw over 4 inces. The NWS said it “is one of the top snowstorms to impact the Houston area.”
Elsewhere in the South, the snowfall was higher. In Louisiana, Baton Rouge saw 7.6 inches, New Orleans saw 8 inches and Lake Charles saw at least 4.8 inches, with up to 6 inches in some areas. Lafayette has seen 9 inches.
The snowfall the most recent highest total in New Orleans was from New Year’s Even in 1963 when 2.7 inches fell.
The 7.5 inches that fell in Mobile, Alabama, and the 7.6 inches in Pensacola, Florida, were all-time records.
Snow falls on Chartres Street in the French Quarter on Jan. 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Michael Democker/Getty Images
Snow is still falling early Wednesday along the coastal Carolinas, in Georgia and in northern Florida.
About 5 inches have so far been reported in parts of coastal North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Even North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said it’s seen 3.8 inches — and it’s still snowing there.
The snow is expected to end around 7 a.m. for the east coast, exiting Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, last.
Rain will continue in the Florida peninsula into the afternoon, heading south and exciting Miami, with lingering spot showers expected through the evening and again on Thursday for the Florida peninsula.
The Gulf Coast is no stranger to severe weather, but the recent snowstorm that hit the region has left residents in awe. Record-breaking snowfall has blanketed Florida, a state known for its warm weather and sandy beaches.
The once-in-a-lifetime storm brought several inches of snow to cities like Tampa, Orlando, and even Miami, where snow is a rare occurrence. Schools and businesses have been forced to close as residents navigate the icy roads and frigid temperatures.
While the snow has brought excitement and wonder to many, it has also caused challenges for those unaccustomed to such weather. Power outages and road closures have made travel difficult, and emergency services have been working overtime to assist those in need.
Despite the difficulties, the snow has brought a sense of unity to the Gulf Coast, as neighbors come together to help one another shovel driveways, clear sidewalks, and check in on those who may need assistance.
As the snow begins to melt and temperatures rise, the Gulf Coast will return to its usual warm and sunny weather. But for now, residents are enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm and the memories it has created.
Both Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise are two of the greatest actors in Hollywood, famous for a lot beyond just their acting performances. Even when they joined hands to work on the Top Gun film series which saw them going from rivals to friends, both actors brought to the tables commendably iconic gigs. But appreciation for their onscreen performances isn’t all the pair share.
As it turns out, Kilmer also shares a rather heartbreaking tragedy with Cruise on losing the Academy Award despite giving one of his best performances to date in The Doors. If anything, his not getting recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the same wasn’t something just noticed by fans worldwide; it was even admitted to by filmmaker Oliver Stone.
Oliver Stone admits Val Kilmer was snubbed at the Oscars…
In a recent interview with director Oliver Stone, it was revealed that Val Kilmer shares a tragic connection with his former co-star Tom Cruise – both actors lost out on an Oscar for their roles in Stone’s film “Born on the Fourth of July.”
Stone, who directed Cruise in the lead role of Ron Kovic and Kilmer in a supporting role, spoke about the incredible performances given by both actors in the 1989 film. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of performance from both of them,” Stone said. “Tom and Val really embodied their characters and brought so much depth and emotion to the screen.”
Despite their outstanding performances, both Cruise and Kilmer were snubbed by the Academy Awards that year, with Cruise losing out to Daniel Day-Lewis for “My Left Foot” and Kilmer missing out on a nomination altogether. “It was a real tragedy that neither of them were recognized for their work in ‘Born on the Fourth of July,’” Stone said.
While both actors may have missed out on the gold statue, their performances in the film have stood the test of time and are still celebrated by fans and critics alike. And according to Stone, the real reward for Cruise and Kilmer was the experience of working on such a powerful and impactful film.
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Around every 80 years, the system we call T Coronae Borealis experiences a sudden increase in brightness. It becomes up to 1,585 times brighter, something that earned it the nickname of “The Blaze Star”. But it has a more accurate name: it is a recurring nova, and it is going to get brighter again very soon.
The system is made of two very evolved stars. One is a red giant and the other a white dwarf. The white dwarf is a little thief, though. It is stealing material from the red giant and that is the cause of the nova.
A white dwarf is the end product of a star like the Sun. Once it has spent all its nuclear fuel following its transformation into a red giant, its core will contract into a dense, hot object and push away the outer layers of plasma.
This exposed core stays hot and bright and usually doesn’t do much more than that unless a companion supplies matter. In that case, the material can accumulate on the hot surface, and over the years pressure and temperature increase, until it experiences a thermonuclear reaction making a big explosion. That’s the nova.
It only affects the surface layer and as long as the supply of matter is steady, it will repeat time and time again. For T Corona Borealis, a nova was documented in 1787, 1866, and 1946. It is also believed that an even earlier eruption was recorded in a medieval manuscript from 1217.
Based on the observations from the last event, researchers are certain that the nova is imminent. Back in 2016, we reported that it started to get brighter and bluer just like it did in 1938 ahead of the 1946 eruption. On the basis of observations over the last 8 years, researchers expected it to happen most likely before September 2024 – but novae are not precise clocks.
“Predictions in astronomy tend to fall in two categories, either extremely precise – eg. when is an eclipse going to occur, down the second? – or wildly imprecise – maybe tomorrow, or maybe in a year? This particular event is in the latter category. ‘Prior to September’ is by no means a certainty. Past performance of this particular object seems to indicate it’s rather likely (at the >75% confidence level or so?) to be before then but not certain – yes, it could wait until next year,” Dr Gerard van Belle of the Lowell Observatory put to IFLScience back in July.
Despite the uncertainty on the exact explosion date, both researchers and amateur astronomers are keeping a regular eye on the constellation of Corona Borealis. Astronomers using NASA’s Fermi telescope are looking at the white dwarf daily, capturing important data on what happens before a nova erupts and hoping to catch it in the act. T Coronae Borealis is 3,000 light-years away, which is very close to us, cosmically speaking.
“There are a few recurrent novae with very short cycles, but typically, we don’t often see a repeated outburst in a human lifetime, and rarely one so relatively close to our own system,” Dr. Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. “It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”
For all the other sky lovers such as us, we just have to keep an eye out. Currently, the constellation rises in the early hours of the morning in the Northern Sky, so waiting a couple more months could make it easier for more people to see the event.
Astronomers are predicting a once-in-a-lifetime event in the night sky with the upcoming eruption of the T Coronae Borealis nova. This rare phenomenon occurs when a white dwarf star steals material from its companion star, causing a sudden and dramatic increase in brightness.
The last recorded eruption of T Coronae Borealis was over a century ago, making this upcoming event highly anticipated by astronomers and stargazers alike. The nova is expected to reach peak brightness within the next few weeks, providing a spectacular show in the night sky.
Be sure to mark your calendars and keep an eye out for this remarkable celestial event. Don’t miss your chance to witness this extraordinary display of nature’s power and beauty.
