Historic winter storm hits Gulf Coast as Calif. fire risk continues
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A map of all the weather watches and warnings in place across the Lower 48 states on Jan. 21, including blue colors for extreme cold. Image: National Weather Service
A once-in-a-generation snowstorm, tied to the polar vortex event across the Lower 48 states, was plastering the Gulf Coast with record-setting snow and ice on Tuesday.
Why it matters: This region isn't equipped to cope with heavy snow, particularly when it is accompanied by continued cold following the storm.
Situational awareness: At least 10 deaths have been reported in this rare winter storm.
Threat level: About 3 to 5 inches of snow fell in the Houston metropolitan area, and both the city's major airports shut down for the storm, as did city schools.
- The National Weather Service forecast office in Houston-Galveston on Monday night described the storm as a "generational event" that is likely to eclipse the city's second-largest snowstorm on record.
- The NWS forecast office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, issued its first-ever blizzard warning on Tuesday, for the combination of heavy snow and high winds.
- The snow was moving east Tuesday, and was affecting coastal areas all the way to the Florida Panhandle and southern Carolinas.
New Orleans is also seeing its all-time snowiest day based on modern records taken at their current location. A whopping 10 inches fell across the city by Tuesday night.
- Videos on social media Tuesday morning showed wind-driven snow falling in Lake Charles as well as New Orleans, with roads covered in snow.
- Blizzard-like conditions were observed in the New Orleans metro area, with high winds and visibility down to a quarter-mile at times.
- Snowfall reports ranged from about 5 inches just outside the city to as much as 9 inches already in Lafayette, with snowfall rates of at least an inch-per-hour at times.
This storm could shut down road and air travel along the coastal stretch from Houston to the Florida Panhandle for days due to the lack of snow plowing equipment and the region's inexperience with these winter hazards.
- Any power outages or other cuts to basic services from the extreme cold and snow could also take days to restore.
Stunning stat: The snow that has fallen so far in New Orleans exceeds the January snowfall so far in the Twin Cities as well as Anchorage, Alaska.
Meanwhile in Southern California, strong offshore Santa Ana winds prompted the highest category of red flag warnings for Tuesday.
- And the Storm Prediction Center has issued an "extremely critical" fire weather outlook for parts of LA and Ventura Counties, as well as parts of San Diego County.
- The threat was forecast to dissipate somewhat Tuesday afternoon local time, but more Santa Ana winds are on the horizon for later this week.
Zoom out: Both the snowstorms, as well as the serious California fire weather threat Tuesday, are tied to the polar vortex-related Arctic blast affecting the majority of the Lower 48 states.
- Nearly 300 million people in the Lower 48 states were under some type of cold weather warning or advisory as of Tuesday morning.
- In addition, the strip of winter storm and blizzard warnings stretching from South Texas to Jacksonville, Fla. is something rarely seen, as a low pressure area traverses the central Gulf of Mexico, directing abundant moisture northward, into the frigid air mass.
- Over longer timescales, studies suggest polar vortex shifts may be more likely due to human-caused climate change, but this is an area of active research.
Extreme cold is also expected to become less severe in a climate that is warming over time due to the burning of fossil fuels.
Go deeper:
- Polar vortex-driven Arctic blast to yield historic southern snow
- Read Axios New Orleans' coverage
- Read Axios Houston's coverage
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
