Snow blankets New Orleans during first Louisiana blizzard on record

Name: 'Stay home': Baton Rouge rescue operations underway during historic snow
Uploaded: 2025-01-21T13:43:23-05:00
Duration: 5 min 25 s
Description: Mayor-President of Baton Rouge Sid Edwards is imploring residents to stay home during the historic snowstorm underway across the Gulf Coast on Tuesday. The snow continues to fall across Louisiana at rates of one inch per hour with no stopping soon. Edwards said it could be more than 2 days before some roads are back open.

New Orleans shatters old snow record

The Big Easy saw 8" of snow during the late-January snowstorm, with winds causing snowdrifts to approach a foot in some areas.

NEW ORLEANS – A major winter storm brought blizzard conditions to Louisiana on Tuesday, turning New Orleans into a snow town. The record-breaking snowstorm blanketed palm trees in fresh flakes and halted the normally bustling Big Easy.

The powerful and deadly winter storm swept across the South on Tuesday, dumping heavy 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 southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas.

FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell is live from New Orleans during the historic snowstorm

The first-ever blizzard warning was issued in Louisiana as snow blankets areas rarely impacted by winter weather.

New Orleans shattered its one-day snow total record by noon when Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport recorded 8 inches of snow. The new record breaks the Dec. 31, 1963 record of 2.7 inches.

Time-lapse: First snowflakes fall in New Orleans

A time-lapse video shows the first snowflakes falling in New Orleans on Jan. 21, 2025 during a potentially historic winter storm.

As the winter storm arrived, FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell captured the time-lapse above of the first flakes falling in New Orleans.

By morning, a layer of powder covered Canal Street and the Central Business District, turning New Orleans into a snow panorama.

Historic snow falls across New Orleans

About 6-9 inches of snow fell across New Orleans sending people out to experience a once-in-a-lifetime winter storm event.

North of downtown in Mid-City, 9.5 inches of snow was recorded, according to the National Weather Service.

DEADLY 1,500-MILE PARALYZING WINTER STORM PUTS NEW ORLEANS, FLORIDA ON RARE ALERT

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 shutting down schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images) ( )

People make their way down a snowy Canal Street on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A winter storm brought rare snowfall to the city shutting down schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images) ( )

Snow blankets Canal Street and the Central Business District in New Orleans on Jan. 21, 2025 during a major winter storm. ( )

Statues are covered in snow inside 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 shutting down schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images) ( )

Snow blankets Canal Street and the Central Business District in New Orleans on Jan. 21, 2025 during a major winter storm. ( )

People take photos of the Mississippi River during heavy snowfall by a docked riverboat on January 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A winter storm brought rare snowfall to the city shutting down schools and businesses and drawing out locals, many of whom had never seen snow before. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images) ( )

Louisiana Department of Transportation crews were attempting to keep up with the rare snowstorm unfolding across the Bayou State.

Watch: Palm trees sway amid near-blizzard conditions in New Orleans

Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans is currently experiencing an extraordinary and surreal scene. Palm trees are dramatically swaying in the wind amidst falling snow. Near-blizzard conditions have been reported at New Orleans Lakefront Airport for the past few hours, with wind gusts exceeding 45 mph. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through Tuesday evening.

The scene along Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans on Tuesday was surreal. Palm trees swayed in the wind amid falling snow and near-blizzard conditions, with wind gusts exceeding 45 mph.

The Department of Transportation shut down the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge early in the afternoon because of the weather.

Louisiana top snow totals for Tuesday.

FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel recorded 4 inches of snow in Baton Rouge before noon.

Parts of Interstate 10 remain closed due to the snowstorm. Louisiana DOT cameras showed snow blanketing the major interstate near New Orleans.

'Stay home': Baton Rouge rescue operations underway during historic snow

Mayor-President of Baton Rouge Sid Edwards is imploring residents to stay home during the historic snowstorm underway across the Gulf Coast on Tuesday. The snow continues to fall across Louisiana at rates of one inch per hour with no stopping soon. Edwards said it could be more than 2 days before some roads are back open.

Mayor-President of Baton Rouge Sid Edwards said it could take more than 48 hours for some roads to reopen.

"A lot of folks, of course, are not accustomed to driving in these conditions and they're running off the road. And we're having to send, you know, personnel out to get them to pick them up," Edwards said.

Officials are asking residents to stay home and enjoy the snow safely, instead of putting themselves and first responders at risk.

Snow on I-10 around 5:30 a.m. in New Orleans on Jan. 21, 2025.

"Please stay home and build your snowmen and do your snow angels. We have no problem with that. But we're pleading with our citizens to stay off of the roads because we have several rescue operations out here. Again, we're not really equipped. We don't have a ton of snow plows in south Louisiana," Edwards said.

A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for New Orleans through Tuesday evening. Between 3 and 7 inches of snow is forecast through Wednesday.

Snow blankets New Orleans during historic Gulf Coast winter storm

New Orleans isn't known for being a snow town but on Tuesday a winter storm blanketed the Big Easy in fresh snow. To the west, the first-ever blizzard unfolded in parts of Louisiana and Texas. Mid-City New Orleans recorded 9.5 inches of snow by Tuesday evening.