Once-in-a-lifetime southern snow eclipses decades-long records

ATLANTA (AP) — Sunny Florida and other parts of the South appear to have broken snowfall records in what many call a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see sandy snowscapes on beaches of all places.

So much of the white stuff accumulated in the South that snowballs flew down Bourbon Street in New Orleans and children and parents who didn’t own sleds used inflatable alligators, snow baskets, laundry and yoga mats to slide on the snow-covered embankments of the Mississippi River.

Here is an overview of the heaviest snowfall in the South:

Milton, Florida

A whopping 9.8 inches (24.9 centimeters) of snow fell near the small town of Milton, Florida, which would shatter Florida’s all-time state snowfall record since 1954 if it were confirmed.

“It’s an incredible, incredible event,” said Michael Mugrage, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mobile, Alabama, where many of the region’s highest snowfalls were reported. “It puts into perspective how rare it is.”

Snow totals near Milton are unofficial at this time and will be reviewed by the state climate office.

Milton is just northeast of Pensacola, where 8.9 inches (22.6 centimeters) broke the city’s previous all-time snowfall record of 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) set in 1895.

New Orleans

Ten inches (25 centimeters) fell in some places in the New Orleans area, breaking the city’s record of 2.7 inches (6.8 centimeters) dating to 1963, the National Weather Service reported. There was also an unofficial report of 11.5 inches of snow in St. Bernard Parish east of the city.

Houston

Up to 10 centimeters of snow fell in the Houston area, a community that does not have snow plows. There was also a preliminary report of 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow near La Porte, Texas, southeast of Houston.

Charleston, South Carolina

More than 4 inches of snow fell in the Charleston area, where snow closed the airport and the massive Ravenel Bridge. It was closed because water freezes on the bridge cables, and large chunks of ice can then fall and break vehicles under the cables, authorities said.

Mobile, Alabama

At Mobile Regional Airport, 6.2 inches (15.7 centimeters) were recorded, breaking the city’s single-day snowfall record of 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) since January 24, 1881. the weather service said. There were also several unofficial reports of more than 9 inches of snow in Gulf Coast communities outside of Mobile.

A preliminary snowfall total of 28 centimeters (11 inches) in the small southern Alabama town of Babbie was among the highest reported nationally, the weather service said.

It’s cold, y’all!

The storm system that brought so much snow also sent thermometers plunging into record territory in the Deep South. It was so cold Wednesday morning that it was warmer in Anchorage, Alaska, than in Atlanta, New Orleans, Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida, the weather service reported.

In Alabama, a low of 6 degrees (minus 14 Celsius) tied the third coldest temperature on record for the city of Mobile, recorded in 1899, the weather service said.

In Louisiana, historic low temperature records were set in the cities of New Iberia and Lafayette, forecasters said. The minimum temperature of 2 degrees (minus 17 Celsius) recorded Wednesday in New Iberia broke a record since 1962. The minimum temperature of 4 degrees (minus 16 Celsius) in Lafayette broke a record dating back to 1899.

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This story has been updated to reflect that the National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon updated the snowfall total in Pensacola, Florida, to 8.9 inches.