A powerful winter storm blanketed the southern United States on Wednesday, bringing unprecedented snowfall, icy conditions, and freezing temperatures that claimed at least eight lives. Stretching from Texas to the Deep South and along the Atlantic Coast to the Carolinas, the storm left a trail of record-breaking weather, travel disruptions, and widespread closures.
The storm’s reach extended to cities unaccustomed to such severe winter weather, including New Orleans, Atlanta, and Jacksonville. In New Orleans, a historic 10-inch (25-centimeter) snowfall shattered records and surpassed the cumulative snow in Anchorage, Alaska, since December, according to the National Weather Service. The Gulf Coast’s white-sand beaches in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida, were coated with snow, creating an extraordinary winter spectacle.
Further north, snow and sleet turned South Carolina’s beaches into wintry playgrounds. Residents of Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island traded surfboards for sleds, while Charleston’s iconic Ravenel Bridge faced 16-hour closures due to icy conditions.
The storm’s impact was deadly, with at least eight fatalities reported. Freezing temperatures and wind chills swept through the region, straining infrastructure and creating hazardous travel conditions. Arctic air brought a deep freeze to the Midwest and eastern US, grounding flights and causing significant delays.
Icy roads led to over 1,000 calls for assistance in Georgia alone, while sections of I-10, the southernmost interstate, were shut down. Elevated bridges and highways, particularly in Louisiana, were vulnerable to freezing, adding to the chaos.
Government offices and schools serving over a million students were closed across the region. Many southern cities, more accustomed to hurricanes than snowstorms, scrambled to respond to the unexpected weather. Residents faced power outages and disrupted services as the storm’s effects rippled across the region.
The National Weather Service forecasted dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills to persist through Thursday morning, with frost lingering until the weekend. However, a gradual thaw was expected, with temperatures in New Orleans projected to rise above freezing by Thursday and in Tallahassee and coastal Carolinas by Friday.
The storm’s intensity prompted the first-ever blizzard warnings for parts of the Texas and Louisiana coastline. The rare snowstorm offered surreal scenes of snow-covered palm trees and beaches, blending the unfamiliar with the extraordinary.
While the storm created moments of wonder and beauty, its toll on lives and infrastructure serves as a stark reminder of the challenges extreme weather poses to regions unprepared for such conditions. As the South begins to recover, the focus remains on restoring normalcy and learning from this unprecedented winter event.
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