VIDEO: Snow blankets beaches along Gulf Coast during historic snowstorm

Video from Galveston.com webcam shows a once-in-two-decades occurrence; snow on the beach! The last time significant snow hit Galveston was in 2004. 

GALVESTON, Texas – Photos and videos from beaches along the Gulf Coast showed a rare and stunning sight Tuesday: snow. 

In Galveston, video from Galveston.com showed snow blanketing the beach, concealing the sand underneath. Waves crashed in the distance, with dark, gloomy skies behind them. 

States from Texas to the Carolinas are experiencing a once-in-a-generation snowstorm this week. It has already resulted in a Blizzard Warning being issued in Louisiana for the first time ever.

More visuals from Galveston showed the snow-covered beach, a sharp contrast to the usually green, sunny landscape. Reports from the National Weather Service indicate the area has received about 1-3 inches of snow. 

Snow covers the ground near Stewart Beach on Galveston Island, Texas, on Jan. 21, 2025.

(David Jackson / FOX 26 Houston)

During the snow, people took pictures of the snowy scene next to the statue memorializing the 1900 Galveston hurricane, known as the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. 

GALVESTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 21: People take photos of the 1900 Storm memorial sculpture on Seawall Blvd. during an icy winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Galveston. 

(Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle / Getty Images)

It was the snowiest day in decades at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, where 3 inches of snow fell, according to NWS data. The last time that much snow fell in the area was in 1949. 

Video from Galveston, Texas, shows snow covering palm trees, homes and the shoreline during a winter storm that hit the Gulf Coast on Jan. 21, 2025.

FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell sent photos from New Orleans Tuesday morning show of palm trees dusted with snow and the city in a snowy haze. 

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Heavy snow, freezing fog and near blizzard like conditions have been reported in New Orleans for much of the morning, according to the NWS in New Orleans. 

Video from Lake Pontchartrain shows palm trees blowing in the wind, and waves crashing hard against the shoreline. 

Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans is currently experiencing an extraordinary and surreal scene. Palm trees are dramatically swaying in the wind amidst falling snow. Near-blizzard conditions have been reported at New Orleans Lakefront Airport for the past few hours, with wind gusts exceeding 45 mph. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through Tuesday evening.

In Biloxi, Mississippi, a light dusting of snow blanketed the sandy beach. Palm trees stand against a stark white, snowy background. 

Video from Biloxi shows a light layer of snow covering the beach Tuesday. A historic snowstorm is moving through the Gulf Coast, bringing snow to places that never see it. 

This is the biggest snowstorm to hit some southern U.S. cities in decades. Temperatures will bottom out Tuesday across the region in the teens to low 20s, and things will warm up again as the weekend approaches.