A rare Southeast winter storm swept through the Carolinas early Wednesday, dumping up to four inches of snow on coastal communities while frigid air left the Gulf Coast and other parts of the region stranded on icy, dangerous roads.
The deadly storm, which has killed at least 10 people, was fueled by a mass of cold air from the Arctic. Low-teens or single-digit degrees were expected to leave much of the South by Wednesday night.
In North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein warned residents in the eastern part of the state to avoid all road travel because they are “the most dangerous place in a winter storm like this.”
In Charleston, S.C., at least 15 snow plows were snaking through streets and clearing them.
And along the Georgia-Florida border, the potential for snow accumulations — as much as a quarter inch — made road conditions even more dangerous.
“Along the Gulf Coast and the Southeast, it’s much colder than what’s considered normal,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. And that heavy snowfall, he added, can freeze and make roads dangerous.
In Louisiana, where Gulf Coast communities received up to nine inches of snow yesterday, officials said Wednesday A 100-mile stretch of Interstate 10 was closed. Which covers almost half of the state.
gave Announcement Shortly after midnight that meant 200 miles of highway in Louisiana were closed due to worsening conditions. Authorities had already closed 50 miles between Baton Rouge and Lafayette and another 50 miles in and around New Orleans since early Tuesday.
Mostly stills Posted by Louisiana Traffic Department. Around 2 a.m. local time, cameras along Interstate 10 showed deserted, snow-covered stretches of highway.
Late Tuesday, the Florida Department of Transportation also closed a 65-mile stretch of Interstate 10 in the western Panhandle, citing “dangerous winter weather conditions.” It’s rare for the Florida section of the highway — it stretches all the way to Los Angeles — to be closed outside of the natural disasters the state is more accustomed to dealing with: hurricanes.
Cities and towns from Houston to New Orleans were covered in snow this week not seen in decades. At least two people died from exposure in Austin and one in Atlanta. Five people were killed in a car crash on an icy road in Zavala County, Texas.
Copy
Copy
Record snowfall blankets New Orleans
A powerful winter storm hit the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, bringing record snowfall to parts of Louisiana and Texas.
-
“It’s absolutely crazy.” “The last time I remember it snowing before Katrina was in 2004, but it wasn’t anything special. It hit the ground and melted. I don’t think I’ve ever seen snow stick to the ground in New Orleans. “It’s been extraordinary. This is the first time I have seen so much snow. I don’t travel in winter because I don’t like snow. I don’t like cold weather, but it has been beautiful. I have never seen this city like this before.
Heavy snowfall also broke records in some parts. The coastal city of Mobile, Ala., received more than eight inches of snow by Tuesday evening, breaking the 1895 record. Just across the border, Florida also enjoyed snowfall and possible local and state records were broken, with nearly nine inches recorded in areas as far west as Milton and Oriole Beach in the Panhandle. Meanwhile, Chalmette, La., just east of New Orleans, had recorded 11.5 inches of snow by Tuesday evening.
Weather service meteorologist Victoria Oliva in Wilmington, N.C., said travel conditions will remain hazardous in eastern North Carolina through at least Wednesday night, with temperatures still hovering in the teens.
The last time Wilmington had more than four inches of snow was in 2000, and the last time more than six inches was in 1989, Ms. Oliva said.
“So this is definitely a rare event for us,” he said.
The fact that so much snow fell in a coastal town that normally loves sunny beach days was not exactly welcome news. The city of Wilmington wrote on its Facebook page: “Spring is 58 days away. Sharing for no particular reason.”
In eastern South Carolina, a winter storm warning remained in effect until Wednesday afternoon. Charleston, the coastal city that has drawn thousands of new residents to its quaint streets and pristine beaches in recent years, was expected to experience chilly winds through Wednesday night.
Peter Mohlin, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Charleston, said forecasters were worried that the snow that had accumulated in the region could freeze by Thursday morning and create hazardous road conditions.
Following the storm’s path through the Carolinas by Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to dissipate.
Ceylan Yeğinsu And Nazanin Ghaffar Cooperation reporting.
