Gulf Coast Winter Storm and Blizzard
On January 21st, 2025, a rare winter storm developed across the Southern US, bringing heavy snowfall to the Deep South and the Gulf Coast.
In far southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana, heavy snow and strong winds prompted the NWS Lake Charles office to issue the first ever blizzard warning for the region.
Winter storm warnings were in effect from southcentral Texas, all along the Gulf Coast, and up through the US South Atlantic coast to Virginia. Snow was observed accumulating on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
From Texas to Florida, many cities saw record-breaking snowfall totals.
In Louisiana, the New Orleans area saw around 10 inches of snowfall, matching a record set over 100 years ago. Meanwhile the city proper observed 8 inches of snow, shattering the old record set at 2.7 inches back in 1963.
In Florida, the state record was broken when the city of Milton received 10 inches of snowfall. In nearby Pensacola, 8.9 inches of snow was recorded at the airport. This winter storm blanketed the northern region of the Sunshine State as several inches of snow were reported in locations across the Florida Panhandle.
Mobile, Alabama broke a long-standing 130-year-old local record with 7.5 inches of accumulated snow. North and South Carolina weren’t left out either, with several inches falling across both states. Only around an inch of snow fell in Atlanta, but freezing temps caused roadways to ice over, creating hazardous travel conditions.
Meanwhile in the central and northern US, dangerously cold arctic air caused temperatures to plunge well below freezing, prompting extreme cold warnings to be issued across multiple states. In parts of the Midwest, wind chills fell to over 40 °F below zero.
For more information, visit the Weather Prediction Center.
Satellite imagery of this event:
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