Jan 21, 2025 - Energy & Climate

In photos: Rare snowstorm hits much of the U.S. South, Texas

Aïda Amer

A woman walking down Bourbon Street in the snow. — The scene in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Jan. 21, as a record 8 inches of snow fell. Photo: Michael DeMocker/Getty Images

People in Texas and much of the U.S. South are facing record snowfalls and icy conditions, with both New Orleans and Houston covered in snow.

The big picture: This once-in-a-generation event for millions across the Gulf Coast has closed schools, government offices and roads across the region and caused massive flight delays and cancelations.

People sled along the hills of Eleanor Tinsley Park in laundry baskets, storage boxes, and other found items as winter storm Enzo brings heavy bands of snow and sleet on January 21, 2025 in Houston, Texas. — The scene in Eleanor Tinsley Park in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 21. Both this extreme weather event and the serious California fire weather threat are tied to the polar vortex-related Arctic blast affecting the majority of the Lower 48 states. Photo: Danielle Villasana/Getty Images

Electricians examining electrical wires in the snow. — Electrical workers in Galveston, Texas, on Jan. 21, as nearly 300 million people in the Lower 48 states were under some type of cold weather alert. Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

People standing in the portico of a park covered in snow. — People at Eleanor Tinsley Park on Jan. 21, as the National Weather Service's Houston office noted on X there had been "many reports 2-4" of snowfall, with the highest reaching 6 inches" in the Houston-Galveston area. Photo: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Statues in New Orleans covered in snow. — Statues covered in snow inside New Orleans Musical Legends Park on Bourbon Street , New Orleans, Louisiana, on Jan. 21 during record snowfall. Photo: Michael DeMocker/Getty Images

A car in front of a Waffle House with snow on it. — The scene on Jan. 21, 2025 in Cayce, South Carolina, where 2 to 4 inches of snow was expected to fall. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

A car seen in Florida during the start of the snow storm. — Snowfall on Jan. 21 in Tallahassee, Florida, where the local NWS warned on X: "Heavy snow bands over the FL Panhandle into southeast AL w/ gusty winds of 25-30 mph could cause blowing snow and near whiteout conditions." Photo: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images

A CenterPoint Energy substation during a winter storm in Houston on Jan. 21, as the cold blast threatens electrical grids. — A CenterPoint Energy substation during a winter storm in Houston on Jan. 21, as the cold blast threatens electrical grids across Texas, where research shows there have been a rising number of extreme weather-related power outages over the past two decades. Photo: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A general view of Allen Toussaint Blvd. during Winter Storm Enzo on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans recieved as much as 10 inches of snow through out the metro area. — Allen Toussaint Boulevard during the winter storm in New Orleans on Jan. 21. Over longer timescales, studies suggest polar vortex shifts may be more likely due to human-caused climate change — though this is an area of active research. Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images

More from Axios:

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Polar vortex-driven Arctic blast to yield historic southern snow

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In photos: Rare snowstorm hits much of the U.S. South, Texas

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