Historic snowstorm poised to hit New Orleans

The big picture: New Orleans is under a winter storm warning, with 4-7 inches of snow likely on Tuesday, the National Weather Service says.

• The wind chill Tuesday night could dip into the single digits, causing hypothermia and rupturing pipes.
• The snow is forecast to stick and will be slow to melt because of the frigid temperatures, forecasters say.
• Leaders are asking everyone to shelter at home and stay off the roads until the ice melts, which is forecast to be sometime Thursday.

Roads: Significant portions of Interstate 10 are expected to close Tuesday and possibly Wednesday, officials say.

• Bridges and other elevated surfaces are forecast to have ice accumulation, so leaders say they will proactively close them.
• NOPD, NOFD, EMS, New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board and other agencies say they stationed staff and equipment across the city in anticipation of closures so they'll be able to respond to emergencies.

Snow equipment: New Orleans doesn't have snow plows, city officials said Monday, but they do have trucks of sand and salt.

• Louisiana DOT said it pre-treated bridges and overpasses across the state with salt ahead of the storm. See the map of priority routes.
• Arkansas sent snow-fighting equipment and personnel to help, DOTD said.

Closures: Schools are closed, along with state and local administrative offices. See WWL's list.

• Many restaurants, grocery stores and businesses are closed Tuesday as well.

Flights: Most airlines have cancelled Tuesday flights in and out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, airport officials said Monday afternoon.

• Flights are expected to resume Wednesday. See the cancellations.

Public transit: RTA is suspending service as of Monday night for ferries, buses, streetcars and para-transit.

• Leaders say service may be cancelled through mid-day Thursday.

Water: Several boil water advisories are already in effect after a drop in pressure. See the current ones.

• During previous freezes, residents were asked to conserve water to prevent other pressure drops. That's also possible this week, officials said Monday.

The last time New Orleans got measurable snow was in 2009 and it was a mere 0.1", the National Weather Service says.

• The record is 2.7 inches, which was set on Dec. 31, 1963.
• Ten inches fell in Orleans Parish on Feb. 14, 1895, NOAA says, but NWS says the record is unreliable.

Fun fact: New Orleans could end up with a snowier January than Minneapolis, the NWS says.

• The reliably frozen city has only had 1.7" of snow so far this month. Looks like their weather got lost and wound up in our yard.

Go deeper to see what's driving this winter storm so far south