ORLANDO, Fla. – A once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, leaving behind historic snowfall and breaking records that have stood for over 100 years.
New Orleans saw up to 9.5 inches of snow, the second-highest snowfall ever recorded in the city, just shy of the 10 inches that fell back on Feb. 14-15, 1895.
But this snowstorm wasn’t just a New Orleans phenomenon. Across the Gulf Coast, cities saw unprecedented snow totals. In Florida, Milton (north of Pensacola) recorded 8.8 inches, the most snow the state has ever seen, smashing the previous record of 4.4 inches back in 1954.
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The Pinpoint Weather team received photos from a viewer’s family member at the University of Florida, showing enough snow accumulation to build snowmen.
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Pensacola and Mobile, Alabama, also set new snowfall records with 7.6 and 7.5 inches, respectively. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wasn’t left out either, recording 7.6 inches of snow.
Unofficial measurements around New Orleans even reported up to a foot of snowfall. As someone who lived in Metairie, a suburb just outside of New Orleans, I can tell you that this storm is truly unbelievable.
My previous neighbors, Mr. Mark and Mrs. Betty, sent my husband and I photos of the snow that blanketed both their house and my old house. According to the ruler they placed in the snow, they received almost 11 inches of snow in Metairie.
While the Gulf Coast experienced snow like never before, Central Florida didn’t quite get the cold temperatures needed for snow but was drenched in soaking cold rain. It still felt pretty wintery, but for those of us who saw the snow, it was an unforgettable moment.
This storm was a true rarity and one for the history books.
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