01/21/2025

A Rare Blizzard Blasts Gulf Coast

This brought the first snow in years to parts of the South

Blizzards along the Gulf Coast are normally seen only at a Dairy Queen. But on Tuesday, for the first time ever, a National Weather Service (NWS) office in southwest Louisiana issued a blizzard warning for a number of counties and 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 — covers two Texas counties and six Louisiana parishes. It comes as a long swath of the South faces extreme cold, sleet and snow this week.

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