Winter Storm Enzo Bringing Rare Snow And Ice To Southeast Coast

Winter Storm Enzo has brought rare, record-breaking snow to parts of the Gulf Coast, snarling travel and resulting in historic snowfall totals from New Orleans to Florida.

(​MORE: Why We Name Winter Storms And The 2024-25 List)

New Orleans picked up 8 inches, making it the heaviest snowfall there in modern day records (since 1948) and the city’s biggest total in over 100 years.

By nightfall, skiers were skiing and snowfall fights had been had on Bourbon Street and ice hockey had been played on Canal Street. It wasn’t just partygoers wearing green, purple and gold weeks ahead of Mardi Gras, but also snowmen. Cafe Du Monde served up plentiful snowflakes with its beignets. Streetcar tracks and palm trees in the city were covered in snow.

F​lorida has likely broken its state snowfall record. Milton, Florida, the state’s previous record holder, picked up 8.8 inches of snow. This is much higher than the 4-inch record set on March 6, 1954, near Milton. Snowplows were out Tuesday night clearing parts of Interstate 10.

E​stimated Snowfall So Far

R​eported snowfall totals by state so far, through 11:30 p.m. EST:

• A​labama: 11 inches in Babbie (southeast Alabama)
• F​lorida: 8.8 inches in Milton (north of Pensacola)*
• G​eorgia: 7 inches in Blakely and Leesburg (southwest Georgia)
• L​ouisiana: 11.5 inches in Chalmette (near New Orleans)
• M​ississippi: 9 inches in Ocean Springs
• N​orth Carolina: 2 inches in Hampstead
• S​outh Carolina: 3 inches near Conway
• T​exas: 6 inches near Pine Island (near Beaumont)

*​ a potential state record

H​ere’s a state-by-state recap:

Texas

Up to 4.2 inches of snow had fallen in the Houston metro area while flurries fell in Galveston. Snow even fell as far south as Brownsville, Texas, early Tuesday. Gusts to 44 mph were also recorded there.

Up to a quarter inch of ice accreted earlier Tuesday in south Texas, where some power outages are being reported.

L​ouisiana

An unprecedented blizzard warning was issued for southwest Louisiana and extreme southeast Texas during the morning hours. It was the first in Louisiana’s history.

Bouts of moderate to heavy snow fell and accumulated in New Orleans, where wind gusts occasionally topped 35 mph. Near-blizzard conditions were recorded at the city’s Lakefront Airport.

Thundersnow was reported near Lafayette. Airboats commonly used for traversing the bayous that Louisiana is known for were instead used for doing donuts in the snow.

Down on the coast, snow piled up right up to the water in the Gulf.

A​labama

Mobile saw 7.5 inches in the storm, which is the most the Gulf Coast city has seen for any snow event on record dating to the late 1800s.

M​ississippi

B​iloxi, home of the Hurricane Hunters, saw heavy snow Tuesday afternoon. The city picked up at least 5 inches of new snow, but other parts of southern Mississippi picked up as much as 9 inches. The snow coated streets, signs and even the beach. Visibility dropped at times as low as one-quarter mile.

B​efore the storm hit, the Hurricane Hunters took flight into Winter Storm Enzo to investigate the storm as it neared the Gulf.

F​lorida

I​n addition to the Milton preliminary state record mentioned earlier, Pensacola also saw record-breaking snowfall.

T​he storm total of 7.6 inches is the heaviest this city has seen since the late-1800s. The previous record was a 3-inch snowstorm in February 1895

Jonathan Belles has been a graphics meteorologist and writer for weather.com for 8 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He’s a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.