New Orleans leaders ask people to stay home another day amid icy roads
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DOTD crews were clearing the snow off the Huey P. Long Bridge yesterday. Image: LA DOTD
New Orleans metro needs another day to thaw out after a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm blanketed the area in 10 inches of snow.
Why it matters: State and local leaders are asking residents to stay off the roads Thursday while they're being cleared.
The big picture: Interstates remained closed in New Orleans as of Wednesday night, along with elevated roadways like access ramps to the Crescent City Connection.
- The Twin Spans and the Bonnet Carre Spillway Bridge on Interstate 10 likely won't reopen until Friday, DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue says.
- Many schools, businesses and government offices will remain closed Thursday. See WWL's list.
- "Yesterday's feeling, I would say, was like whimsy," said Homeland Security director Collin Arnold during a Wednesday afternoon update. "Today's feeling is a little bewilderment. And I'm really hoping that tomorrow will be 'OK, I'm getting a little tired of this.' And by Friday, we'll be back to what we can do normally."
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Forecast: It will still be cold Thursday, but it will be above freezing.
- The sun has been doing a lot of the work melting the ice, and Arnold said more roads should be passable by Thursday night. Go deeper for driving tips in the snow.
- However, overnight temperatures are expected to dip to near freezing on Thursday and Friday.
- It's expected to slowly warm up after that, reaching the 50s on Saturday and 60s on Sunday.
Stunning stat: The storm dropped more snow than New Orleans has seen in a century.
- Eight inches fell at the National Weather Service's official observation station at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, crushing the previous record of 2.7 inches set in 1963.
- It also tied the historic record of 10 inches at Audubon Park, which was set in 1895.
- See the unofficial storm totals from NWS.
Fatalities: Two people died in a heating-related fire in Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry said Wednesday.
- One of the fires was in Singer, the fire marshal said. Details were not available about the other death.
- At least 10 people died elsewhere in the South during the storm, Axios' Rebecca Falconer reports.
- Louisiana State Police, NOPD and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office have responded to weather-related wrecks, but the injuries have been minor, they said Wednesday afternoon.
- There's been a case of frostbite in New Orleans, but no upticks in hypothermia, Arnold said Wednesday.
Falling ice: Beware of falling ice and snow clumps from tall buildings while things melt.
- New Orleans police are asking residents to be vigilant when walking near their headquarters on Poydras Street in the DXC building.
Snow plows: New Orleans and Jefferson Parish hired a snow plow company from Indiana to clear the roads, according to Arnold and Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng.
- They focused first on bridges, hospital access routes and primary thoroughfares. See the map (scroll down page) of snow plow routes.
- Sidney Torres' company is clearing the French Quarter, and other companies are working on the CBD and downtown sidewalks, Arnold said.
- DOTD is borrowing snow plows from Arkansas and clearing the Huey P. Long Bridge and other highways and interstates across the state. See the map of priority routes.
Water: Orleans and Jefferson parish officials are asking residents to minimize non-essential water usage like washing machines and dishwashers.
- Jefferson Parish and SWBNO had boil advisories in effect Wednesday evening.
Outages: New Orleans wasn't reporting major outages as of 5pm Wednesday, according to Entergy's website. See the latest.
- But if your power goes out, Orleans and Jefferson parishes have warming shelters: St. Bernard Center, Terrytown Playground and Ree Alario Special Needs Center.
Flights: Airlines cancelled flights Wednesday at MSY and were planning to evaluate conditions Thursday. See the latest.
- The snow plows were able to clear the access roads, Arnold said, but they didn't have the correct blades to clear the runways.
Public transit: Ferries, buses, streetcars and para-transit will be suspended through Friday. RTA says it may phase in services Saturday if conditions improve.
- Public transit in Jefferson Parish will be suspended through at least Thursday.
- See the latest for RTA and Jefferson Parish Transit.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.