Updated January 21, 2025 at 21:06 PM ET
Snow from a winter storm is winding down across the Gulf Coast, but forecasters are now warning of dangerously cold temperatures and travel hazards.
Large swaths of southeast Texas and Louisiana and parts of southern Mississippi are under an extreme cold warning through Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
"Major highway and air traffic disruptions, including possible road closures and flight cancellations, may continue for several days even after the snowfall ends," the NWS said on Tuesday afternoon.
It comes after a rare winter storm struck the region.
On Tuesday, for the first time ever, a National Weather Service office in southwest Louisiana issued a blizzard warning, covering two Texas counties and six Louisiana parishes.
"Words that I never thought would come out of my mouth," meteorologist Donald Jones said in a briefing from the NWS office in Lake Charles, La.
The blizzard warning — meaning residents can expect to see frequent 35 mph wind gusts, with visibility likely limited to less than a quarter mile — came as a long section of the South faces extreme cold, sleet and snow this week.
There were "widespread snowfall totals" of 3 to 7 inches, the NWS New Orleans office said late Tuesday afternoon, with some areas seeing 9 inches. Meteorologists said these amounts "haven`t been seen in at least 60 years, if ever."
New Orleans will mainly see freezing lows through the week.
"Wind chills in the teens and even some single digits possibly" will hit an area that includes New Orleans, Baton Rouge and southwest Mississippi, according to an update from NWS meteorologist Kevin Gilmore.
Wednesday will be the coldest morning, with New Orleans forecast to be at 22 degrees, Gilmore said, urging people to limit their time outside.
Emergency officials say people need to take steps to protect water pipes, pets, their plants and each other from the freezing conditions. Local and state governments are opening warming centers and warning drivers to beware of treacherous roads that could be coated with slick ice.
"Roads could be very dangerous to travel on," said Eric Bullard of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, according to Mississippi Public Broadcasting. "So don't go out if you don't have to. Stay at home."
Winter storm is felt from Texas to North Carolina
The winter storm is bringing dangerous conditions to millions of people, from South Texas to northern North Carolina. As thermometers plunged Tuesday, health warnings and road closures spread, but people also seized a rare opportunity to see their neighborhoods coated in snow — and to go sledding.
In New Orleans, Nell and John Nelson grabbed an inner tube normally used on the beach to take the place of a sled for their young son.
"We've been dragging him up and down the street," Nell Nelson told WWNO. "We don't have any sleds or anything, we just have to improvise," said John.
"There's something really remarkable walking out your front door and stepping out into snow," Houston resident Patrick Van Pelt told Houston Public Media. He added, "It seems like every 10 or 12 years we'll get some snow but never where I would contemplate going sledding."
Snow has stopped falling in Houston and nearby areas, but not before totals reached 2 to 4 inches, with some areas seeing 6 inches, the NWS Houston office said. But now temperatures are set to plunge overnight, with wind chills reaching 10 to 15 degrees.
"Snow, slush and ice left on the ground will refreeze with Extreme Cold tonight," forecasters said.
Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport will resume operations on Wednesday after all flights were suspended because of the storm.
The storm was powered by a unique blend of arctic air dropping down from the north, as a low-pressure system draws large amounts of moisture onshore from the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting winter storm's track was similar to a tropical storm, as it carved an icy path from the Gulf Coast to Georgia and the Carolinas.
In the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola saw its first measurable snow since 2014, according to member station WUWF. Highways were also coated with snow.
NEW VIDEO: I’m in Pensacola, Florida, near the border. Already at 2” and it’s still snowing heavy. This is a truly historic event. #Snow #Florida @spann @stormhour pic.twitter.com/K4dIdVzgZt
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) January 21, 2025
Heavy snowfall also spread Tuesday afternoon to southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, with the NWS Tallahassee office predicting 4 to 6 inches of snow across a large area — an estimate that it raised at least twice on Tuesday.
On Monday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency through Jan. 28, member station WABE reported. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency, according to member station WFSU.
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