It’s been a winter to remember in the South, with record-breaking cold and snow sweeping across Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and even Florida. For places that rarely see snow, this storm delivered some jaw-dropping surprises.
Let’s start with the shocking cold. On January 22, the temperature at New Orleans Lakefront in Louisiana dropped to 26 degrees—its coldest reading since records started in 1940. Baton Rouge was even colder at 19 degrees, breaking a record set all the way back in 1935. But Lafayette took it to another level, shivering at just 4 degrees, its lowest temperature since records began in 1893. And then there’s New Iberia, where the thermometer hit a bone-chilling 2 degrees, setting a new record since its station was established in 1948.
As if the freezing temperatures weren’t enough, historic snowfall followed. Texas saw the first flakes on the night of January 20, kicking off the storm’s journey eastward. One of the most unbelievable moments happened in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, where 4.5 inches of snow fell on January 21—the most in a single day since 1901!
The storm didn’t slow down as it moved into Louisiana. On January 21, Baton Rouge got 7.6 inches of snow, making it the snowiest day the city has seen since 1892. New Orleans also had its snowiest day since 1948, with a total of 8 inches. And the next day, January 22, Thibodaux broke its own record with 8.5 inches, the most since records started in 1893.
Alabama and Florida also got a rare taste of deep snow. Mobile saw 7.5 inches on January 21, setting a record since 1881. In Florida, Fernandina Beach ended January 22 with 4 inches of snow—its snowiest day since records started in 1917. And near Pensacola, an incredible 10 inches fell on January 21, challenging the record for the most snowfall ever recorded in Florida.
To put this in perspective, some places in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida have had more snow this winter than northern cities like Chicago. That’s not something you hear every day!
So, how did this happen? A unique weather setup made it possible. By January 20, extremely cold, dry air from the Arctic had spread across the Gulf Coast. At the same time, a large dip in the jet stream stretched from the Great Lakes all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. This created a pathway for moisture from the Gulf to be pulled northward. Then, a surface low-pressure system formed over the central Gulf, pushing even more moisture into the freezing air over the South. The result? A snowfall event that acted a lot like a “lake-effect” snowstorm, except instead of forming over the Great Lakes, it happened along the Gulf of Mexico.
One interesting thing about this storm was the type of snow it produced. The National Weather Service in Mobile reported that the snow had an unusually high snow-to-liquid ratio, between 10:1 and 15:1. This means it was dry, powdery snow—the kind you’d expect to see in mountain regions, not in southern states at sea level.
But what about climate change? Could it have played a role in this extreme cold? Some scientists believe there may be a connection. The theory is that melting Arctic sea ice, caused by global warming, could be changing the shape of the polar vortex, making it more likely to stretch and send Arctic air farther south. However, experts say the science on this is still uncertain.
One thing is clear: Even though winters are getting warmer overall, extreme cold and heavy snow can still happen. It may seem strange, but record-breaking snowstorms don’t necessarily mean the planet isn’t warming. Instead, they’re just reminders that weather can be full of surprises—especially in a winter like this one.
