A winter storm sweeping through the U.S. South on Tuesday was dumping snow at levels millions of residents haven't seen before.
Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was combining with a low-pressure system and chilly air to drop significant amounts of snow in some spots. That included 10.5 inches near Lafayette, Louisiana by Tuesday afternoon — within striking distance of the state record of 13 inches set in 1960.
The National Weather Service said 7 to 8 inches of snow had been reported in areas between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. New Orleans' old record was 2.7 inches set in 1963. In Texas, the Houston-Galveston area had 2 to 4 inches before midday.
The National Weather Service's Lake Charles, Louisiana, office issued its first-ever blizzard warning Tuesday. The NWS' Mobile office reposted video on X of two people having a snowball fight in Orange Beach, Alabama, just steps from the Gulf of Mexico.
''This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for a lot of these folks down there. For kids that have never had snowball fights … they're going to have one,'' said Tom Kines, a meteorologist at the private weather company AccuWeather.
The U.S. Gulf Coast is far better known for its hurricanes — Houston, for example, was rocked by Hurricane Beryl in July — and it's a ''fairly rare phenomenon'' to see snow in the region, said Bradley Brokamp, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Houston. That's a combination seen a little more often in the Northeast, which gets snowy winters and the occasional tropical storm.
In Houston, the Yale Street Grill was virtually the only business open in one inner-city neighborhood. A couple of the restaurant's workers had time to venture outside and build a 3-foot tall snowman complete with carrot nose and scarf.
''I've seen all the storms. I've been through all the hurricanes. So, this has been really fun. I have a 4-year-old daughter at home who I'm ready to get back to so she can play in the snow," said Emma Kratky, a waitress and assistant manager.
