New Orleans recovers from historic snowstorm | Weather report

The New Orleans area began to emerge from the worst snowfall to hit the region in more than a century on Wednesday, with the euphoria of the once-in-a-lifetime storm melting away and feverish work continuing to clear dangerously icy roads and reopen. for business.

Tuesday’s storm left residents almost in disbelief as snow continued to fall. Up to 10 inches were reported in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, as well as 11.5 inches in Chalmette, leaving roofs, yards and vehicles buried.

It was the first significant snowfall in the region since December 2009, and the final totals rivaled a Valentine’s Day storm in 1895 and were the largest on record.

Residents took full advantage, pulling out their snowboards, skis, makeshift sleds and warmest gloves to build snowmen as flakes fell for most of Tuesday, often blown diagonally by strong winds . The snowfall, which ended in the early evening, was also powdery and relatively dry, providing the type of winter playground many New Orleanians had only seen on television.

But it also crippled the region, and major roads remained closed Wednesday, particularly Interstate 10 across much of the state, including from LaPlace to Slidell, as well as the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The state Department of Transportation and Development said one lane of the Crescent City Connection reopened in both directions Wednesday afternoon, but the city warned that approaches to the bridge could remain risky.

The first signs of melting occurred Wednesday under sunny, cloudless skies, although it is expected to be a slow, gradual process, with temperatures only briefly rising above freezing in some areas and not at all in others. .

Temperatures are expected to drop further overnight. This could prove particularly dangerous as roads covered in slush freeze, turning streets into slippery ice rinks.

Arctic conditions were also life-threatening for those without shelter, and frostbite and hypothermia were potential risks for those outside without proper equipment and clothing.

Local and state authorities urged residents to stay off the roads as crews worked to clear them. Schools and government offices were scheduled to remain closed through Thursday, and a Pelicans-Bucks game scheduled for Wednesday night was postponed.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, state climatologist Jay Grymes said the combination of snow and freezing temperatures made it “the largest and most significant winter storm we’ve ever seen in southern Louisiana.

Gov. Jeff Landry urged residents to remain cautious and stay home until the roads are safe.

“As the sun sets, remember that temperatures will drop and you will find yourself in the freezing parts of the evening and early morning, so we want you to stay off the roads during these times” , he said. .

From pearls to snow

New Orleans, unaccustomed to dealing with such mounds of snow and ice, was awarded a 48-hour emergency contract with Indiana-based Sherco Group Inc. for 14 snow plows, with the possibility of extension . The city also hired IV Waste to help clear snow in the French Quarter and downtown, using its front-end loaders typically used to process Mardi Gras beads.

By mid-afternoon Wednesday, a list of major arteries had been cleared of snow and some, including the Pontchartrain Expressway, were expected to be crossed again due to refreezing, said Collin Arnold, director of civil protection for the city.

“We’re going to continue to fight this as much as we can,” Arnold said at a news conference, also emphasizing the need to limit delays in road work that crews have been rushing to complete before the Super Bowl on February 9.

He said he expected to see “significant travel capacity” by Thursday evening, with sunny weather helping, but stressed residents should continue to stay home until conditions improve. are safe. The state DOTD was handling I-10, and it is not expected to reopen in the New Orleans area until Thursday.

Jefferson Parish also had obtained a half-dozen snowplows through an emergency contract with Sherco.

At the airport, all departing flights were canceled on Wednesday and only a few flights arriving late at night were able to operate. Airlines will continue to evaluate whether additional cancellations will occur on Thursday. Parts of the airport have been plowed, but not the runways yet, because they require different types of blades for the work, Arnold said.

Freezing temperatures led New Orleans officials to open a third emergency warming center at the St. Bernard Recreation Center. More than 200 people were staying in emergency shelters at the Rosenwald Recreation Center on Broad Street and the Treme Community Recreation Center on North Villere Street Tuesday evening.

The cold was also a test for a new shelter installed by the state in Gentilly to house those who lived near tourist areas around the Superdome and French Quarter ahead of the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. Before the storm, concerns had been raised about maintaining heat in the building.

As the snow began to melt, some motorists took to the road despite advice to the contrary. State police responded to more than 50 weather-related crashes across the state Tuesday and warned Wednesday that “melting snow causes slippery and messy conditions that may be difficult to spot until It’s too late.”

Most New Orleans area law enforcement agencies said Tuesday they had not received any reports of major traffic crashes or injuries, after residents heeded warnings to stay at home.

In St. Tammany, the parish helped DOTD open single lanes on major roads for first responders. In the absence of a snow plow, the parish repurposed a vehicle used to repair roads and drainage, called a skid steer, to clear snow.

But Parish President Mike Cooper said citizens should stay home Wednesday and Thursday because the roads are “still icy.”

Frozen pipes were also a problem. It was too early to know the extent of the damage, but the New Orleans Water and Sewer Board said residents should continue to run a spaghetti-sized stream of water through the faucet furthest from the meter during freezing temperatures.

S&WB officials reported a drop in water pressure due to higher consumption, with residents running faucets. Pressure also dropped due to isolated water main breaks, Ghassan Korban, S&WB’s executive director, said in an interview.

Korban said problems have been more limited than in past cold weather events. Only about 200 of the utility’s 140,000 households have called for help with water problems since the storm began, he said.

The Gretna Plumber’s Devil received a dozen calls for help Wednesday morning from people experiencing broken pipes or water access problems in Metairie, Kenner, New Orleans, Marrero and Algiers , said office director Ann Taylor.

The company was keeping plumbers off the roads until the snow and ice was cleared, Taylor said.

“A lot of people are panicking because they don’t have access to water because the pipes are frozen,” she said. “But we’ll have to wait until everything thaws to see if there are leaks somewhere.”

Ms. Mae remains open

Deep, frozen snow on the ground helped keep the region on ice, especially in the Baton Rouge area. In New Orleans, slightly warmer, high winds off Lake Pontchartrain helped keep the area from dropping into the single digits, unlike other parts of the state.

Gradual warming is expected to begin on Thursday. Highs on Wednesday were in the 30s for New Orleans, with the overnight low expected at 24. Baton Rouge was down to single digits before dawn and a low of 15 was expected overnight Thursday.

But while many were hunkered down at home to escape the cold, others were making the most of a rare outdoor scene.

At Mrs. Mae’s, the venerable restaurant on the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Magazine Street, “a nice little crowd” had gathered at 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to bartender Kyle, who declined to share his last name.

There were probably 40 or 50 people in the 24-hour lounge, which seemed like a few fewer than Tuesday. Most came from the neighborhood on foot.

“A lot of people have the hangover blues after yesterday,” Kyle said.

Staff writers Stephanie Riegel, Bob Warren, Willie Swett, Alyse Pfeil, Sophie Kasakove, Michelle Hunter, Lara Nicholson and Blake Paterson contributed to this report.