It was one for the record books, a true ‘once in a lifetime’ event for the Gulf Coast states.

Two high pressure cells, one over the Rockies and the other over the East-Central states driving dry polar air out over the Gulf of Mexico combined with a developing low pressure system to crate an exceptionally rare snowstorm which stretched over 1,500 miles.

Not only was the far reach of accumulating snow highly impressive but it was WHERE it occurred was remarkable.

Typically those ‘rare Gulf Coast snow events’ are marginal at best with usually snow only in the air at the coast with minor measurements inland.

The January 2025 event was different to anything observed in this region for some 100 years. Thanks to the arctic air pushing ‘off the coast’ with development of the system also offshore, this allowed dry, powdery snow to accumulate along the beaches stretching from Texas to North Carolina.

Anywhere from 1-12 inches fell with two distinct bullseye’s in places you’d never have dreamed of. Southern Louisiana including Greater New Orleans and NW Florida into SE Alabama as seen below!

Excerpt from Historic January 2025 snowstorm in the Southern U.S.

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX received 4.5 inches of snow making it their snowiest day since records began back in 1901.

As the storm tracked eastward, it continued to make history in Louisiana on both January 21 and 22. The National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, LA, issued its first blizzard warnings ever for portions of the state. On January 21, Baton Rouge recorded 7.6 inches, making it the site’s snowiest day since records began in 1892 while New Orleans saw its snowiest day since records began in 1948 with a total of 8.0 inches. On January 22, Thibodaux also saw its snowiest day since records began in 1893, with 8.5 inches of snow.

Mobile, AL, hit a record snowfall of 7.5 inches on January 21, the most since the site’s creation in 1881, and Fernandina Beach, FL, ended January 22 with 4.0 inches of snowfall, making it the site’s snowiest day since records began in 1917. Finally, 10.0 inches was recorded near Pensacola, FL, on January 21, challenging the record for the snowiest day ever recorded in the state of Florida. 

In fact, some locations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida accumulated 10.0 or more inches of snow from the storm. With these totals, these sites have recorded more snow so far this winter season than many locations far to the north, including Chicago, IL! 

The rare atmospheric set up for a southern “lake effect” snowstorm

Unusually cold and dry air, originating from the Arctic, was in place across much of the Gulf Coast prior to the beginning of the winter storm that buried much of the area in inches of snow. By January 20, 2025, a large trough in the upper atmosphere (also known as a dip in the jet stream) was pushing south and east across much of the central U.S., stretching from the Great Lakes all the way down to the Gulf Coast. 

Ahead of this trough, to the east, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was drawn northward, not only over the southern states, but also throughout the atmospheric column. At the same time, a surface low developed across the central Gulf of Mexico (ahead of the trough), reinforcing moisture flow northward over the Gulf Coast states. This aided in saturating the cold (well below freezing), dry air that was already in place, eventually leading to snowfall reaching the ground.

The collision of Gulf moisture with such cold, dry air was like a lake-effect snowstorm across the South. The National Weather Service office in Mobile, Alabama, estimated an “unusually high snow to liquid ratio” ranging from 10:1 to 15:1 during the height of the event, which resulted in “drier, fluffier snow… that is much more efficient at accumulating.” This type of powdery snow is much more commonly found in mountain areas than at low elevation, southerly latitudes. 

The morning after view from space.

Here’s a great video of the event from Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby.

With 11.5 inches accumulating in Lafayette, LA, they are ahead of Chicago’s 8.9 inches for the season and well beyond Anchorage, Alaska’s measly 3.8 inches, a full 2 FEET below average.

Snowiest day on record for Mobile, AL, New Orleans, LA, Gulfport, MS and Baton Rouge, LA.

New Orleans, St Bernard Parish reported 11.5 inches which is nearly a full HALF FOOT below that of NYC’s 6 inches for the season.

Record shattering cold followed the snow.

Stats via Theirry Goose.

Louisiana ALL-TIME RECORDS:

2°F/-16.7°C New Iberia

4°F/-15.6°C Lafayette

2nd LOWEST:

6°F/-14.4°C Lake Charles

7°F/-13.9°C Baton Rouge

11°F/-11.7°C Beaumont

3rd LOWEST ON RECORD

6°F/-14.4°C Mobile AL

 7°F/-13.9°C Jay, FLORIDA

A minimum of 26 degrees at the New Orleans Lakefront is their coldest temperature since records began back in 1940.

19 degrees at Baton Rouge, LA is their coldest since records began in 1935.

A minimum of 4 degrees is Lafayette, LA’s coldest since their records began all the way back in 1893 while New Iberia, LA’s 2 degrees is coldest since records began back in 1948.

A private station (CWOP) at Cade Farm, LA reported -1F.

Some records dating back to the late 1800s were broken.

The cold which followed by record snow is Florida’s worst since the infamous 1985 outbreak according to AccuWeather’s Jesse Ferrell.

The above 7 degree reading in Jay, FL is from a private weather station (CWOP) but according to AccuWeather’s Jesse Ferrell, officially the lowest reading for the Sunshine state was 11 degrees at Whiting Field and lowest for this site since records began back in 1996.

A reading of 15 degrees in Marriana, FL was their lowest since records began in 1951.

US seasonal so to date.

When looking at the nation as a whole, it looks like this is America’s coldest January since 1988 but perhaps one of Alaska and Canada’s mildest in some time.

Lake Erie within a week has seen ice grow from 27 to 87% thanks to the arctic air.