Today’s best weather news: Blizzard cripples Gulf Coast communities with record snow

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FOX Weather has you covered with the latest weather forecasts and weather news headlines for your weather across America for Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Get the latest from FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin.

FOX Weather has you covered with the latest forecasts and weather news headlines for your weather across America for Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Get the latest from FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin.

Welcome to the daily weather update from FOX Weather. It’s Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today’s weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you want FOX Weather Update podcast.

Blizzard blasts Gulf Coast crippling communities with record snow from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas

A powerful and rare winter storm swept across the South on Tuesday, prompting the first-ever blizzard warning for the Gulf Coast and blasting communities from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas with record-breaking snow that snarled travel and brought everyday life to a standstill.

“Honestly, it’s been a jaw-dropping 24 hours,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin. “I mean, seeing some of the images that we’ve shown you on FOX Weather is something you only see once in a generation. This is really going to be a storm that decades from now will have a new generation of kids , which is like, ‘Where were you in 2025 at that time?'”

  • The iconic St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter is barely visible in the heavy snow on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    The iconic St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter is barely visible in the heavy snow on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A winter storm brought rare snowfall to the city, closing schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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  • People walk down a snow-covered Canal Street on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    People walk down a snow-covered Canal Street on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A winter storm brought rare snowfall to the city, closing schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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  • Snow covers Canal Street and the Central Business District in New Orleans on January 21, 2025 during a major winter storm.

    Snow covers Canal Street and the Central Business District in New Orleans on January 21, 2025 during a major winter storm.
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  • Snow along Orange Beach, Alabama on January 21, 2025.

    Snow along Orange Beach, Alabama on January 21, 2025.
    (@superdavealob/X)

  • GALVESTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 21: People take pictures of the 1900 Storm memorial sculpture on Seawall Blvd. during an icy winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Galveston.

    GALVESTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 21: People take pictures of the 1900 Storm memorial sculpture on Seawall Blvd. during an icy winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Galveston.
    (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)

  • An ATV drives past residents sledding in the snow during a winter storm in Houston, Texas, U.S., Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.

    An ATV drives past residents sledding in the snow during a winter storm in Houston, Texas, U.S., Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
    (Mark Felix/Bloomberg)

  • Statues are covered in snow inside the New Orleans Musical Legends Park on Bourbon Street on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    Statues are covered in snow inside the New Orleans Musical Legends Park on Bourbon Street on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A winter storm brought rare snowfall to the city, closing schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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  • Big winter storms rarely bring snowfall to large swaths of southern states

    BONIFAY, FLORIDA – JANUARY 21: A sign shows a winter storm warning on January 21, 2025 in Bonifay, Florida. The National Weather Service has placed northern Florida under a winter storm warning, with some predicting the Gulf’s biggest snow and ice storm in more than 100 years.
    (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images)

  • Winter mix reported at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

    Winter mix reported at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
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  • People take photos of the Mississippi River during heavy snowfall at a riverboat dock on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    People take photos of the Mississippi River during heavy snowfall at a riverboat dock on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A winter storm brought rare snowfall to the city, closing schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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  • Snow at Houston's IAH Airport

    Snow at Houston’s IAH Airport on January 21, 2025.
    (Houston Intercontinental Airport)

  • Texas State Sen. Paul Bettencourt shared photos of the snow in Houston as a winter storm hit the region on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

    Texas State Sen. Paul Bettencourt shared photos of the snow in Houston as a winter storm hit the region on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
    (@TeamBettencourt/X)

  • Snow Covers the United States 51 Robert E. Mayers Jr. Memorial Bridge in Manchac, LA, Tuesday.

    Snow Covers the United States 51 Robert E. Mayers Jr. Memorial Bridge in Manchac, LA, Tuesday.
    (@La_DOTD)

  • Snow covers Canal Street and the Central Business District in New Orleans on January 21, 2025 during a major winter storm.

    Snow covers Canal Street and the Central Business District in New Orleans on January 21, 2025 during a major winter storm.
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Snow blankets New Orleans during historic Gulf Coast winter storm

A major winter storm brought blizzards to Louisiana on Tuesday, turning New Orleans into a snow city. The record-breaking blizzard blanketed palm trees in fresh flakes and brought the normally bustling Big Easy to a standstill.

The powerful and deadly winter storm swept across the South on Tuesday and dumped heavily snow across areas that rarely see flakes or bitterly cold conditions. The storm prompted the National Weather Service to issue the first ever blizzard warning for the Southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas.

New Orleans broke its one-day snow total record by midday when Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport recorded 8 inches of snow. The new record beats the December 31, 1963 record of 2.7 inches.

A man dressed in a cowboy hat and Santa outfit with snowy palm trees behind him in New Orleans.

A man dressed in a cowboy hat and Santa outfit with snowy palm trees behind him in New Orleans.

(Brandy Campbell/FOX Weather)

Florida is experiencing the heaviest snowfall in state history as the winter storm hits the South

Florida spent Tuesday preparing for its most significant game winter weather since 1989, with airports closing and officials urging residents of the western Panhandle to stay off the roads.

Widespread reports of 5-12 inches of snowfall were reported around Pensacola Tuesday night, prompting troopers to close a nearly 70-mile stretch of Interstate 10.

The Sunshine State’s record snowfall was 4 inches in Milton, outside Pensacola, on March 6, 1954, which was eclipsed Tuesday by the measurements around Pensacola.

This photo shows a “Welcome to the Free State of Florida” sign as snow falls during a historic winter storm on Monday, January 21, 2025.

(@MyFDOT/X)

See it: Unusual snowy sights across the South as the once-in-a-generation winter storm drops snow

From kayaking in the snow to sledding on a cookie sheet, residents of Texas and Louisiana found a variety of creative ways to enjoy the historic winter storm that barreled through the South on Tuesday.

Parts of Texas and Louisiana saw their first-ever blizzard warning as the powerful storm marched across the region, dumping more than half a foot of snow, according to reports.

Both Texans and Louisianans took advantage of the unusual winter weather.

These Louisianans got creative with their snow recreations by strapping a kayak to the back of a truck and taking a ride through the freshly fallen powder.

These Louisianans got creative with their snow recreations by strapping a kayak to the back of a truck and taking a ride through the freshly fallen powder.

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