Houston woke up to an unexpected winter wonderland as a powerful and rare winter storm swept through the South earlier this week, leaving behind jaw-dropping scenes from Texas to Florida and the Carolinas. It wasn’t just cold—it was historic. For the first time ever, the Gulf Coast faced a Blizzard Warning, and snow fell in record-breaking amounts, bringing life in many cities to a grinding halt.
“This has been an unforgettable 24 hours,” meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “The images we’re seeing are something that only comes around once in a generation.”
By Wednesday morning, much of the South was still frozen, with temperatures struggling to climb above freezing. Snow-covered roads and icy conditions made travel nearly impossible, especially in Florida, where the state shattered snowfall records. Authorities shut down a nearly 200-mile stretch of Interstate 10 in the Panhandle, leaving it closed through Wednesday night, as snow and ice lingered.
“This is the kind of storm people will talk about decades from now,” Merwin added. “You’ll hear kids in the future asking, ‘Where were you in 2025 during the big snowstorm?’”
The storm first made its presence felt in Texas early Tuesday, leaving a trail of chaos. Tragically, icy roads led to a deadly crash in Zavala County, where five people lost their lives on U.S. 57. Investigators said several vehicles couldn’t stop on the slick roads, and a semi-truck added to the devastation when it couldn’t avoid the pileup.
As the storm pushed east, cities like Austin and San Antonio saw snow and sleet before the system interacted with moisture over the Gulf of Mexico, growing even stronger. Snow blanketed Houston as temperatures dropped, and wind chills made the air bite even harder. Roads and highways, including the busy Interstate 10, turned into dangerous ice rinks, causing countless accidents and long closures. Houston’s two major airports—George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby—shut down all day Tuesday and only began reopening on Wednesday.
At Hobby Airport, 3 inches of snow fell Tuesday, making it the snowiest day there since 1949. Over at Bush Intercontinental, 1.2 inches of snow was recorded. Schools, universities, and even hospitals canceled their schedules, and Port Houston remained closed as the city tried to recover from the storm.
New Orleans saw an even more surreal sight: palm trees covered in snow. The city experienced its first Blizzard Warning, and by noon Tuesday, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport had recorded a whopping 8 inches of snow. This smashed the city’s previous one-day snowfall record of 2.7 inches from 1963. The storm paralyzed the Big Easy, shutting down the airport and even postponing Wednesday night’s NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans.
Florida also found itself in uncharted territory. Pensacola turned into a winter wonderland with 8.9 inches of snow—more than double the state’s previous record of 4 inches. This snowfall was more than the city had seen in the past 124 winters combined. Meteorologists in Tallahassee said they would need days to verify all the snowfall measurements across the state. Major airports like Tallahassee International and Jacksonville International shut down flights, leaving travelers stranded.
The storm didn’t spare Alabama, either. Mobile experienced its snowiest day on record, with at least 7.5 inches falling. The weight of the snow even caused the partially demolished Mobile Civic Center to collapse, though thankfully, no one was injured.
The chaos continued in Georgia, where icy conditions led to numerous crashes around Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw significant delays but managed to get back on track by Wednesday afternoon. Despite efforts by road crews, over 100 vehicles were reported stranded across the state, blocking emergency response teams in some areas.
While the storm’s icy grip slowly loosened as the week went on, warmer weather was expected to arrive soon, melting away the snow and ice. But for now, residents across the South are left with unforgettable memories of a storm that turned their familiar streets into a snowy spectacle—and plenty of stories to tell for years to come.
