A record-breaking winter storm swept through the southeastern U.S., bringing unprecedented snowfall and freezing temperatures.
Cities like New Orleans experienced more snow than Anchorage, Alaska, during this period. The storm’s intensity and the resulting closures of major highways like Interstate 10 marked a significant meteorological event.
Unprecedented Winter Weather Strikes the Southeast
A powerful winter storm swept through the southeastern United States in January 2025, bringing freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall. The storm set new snowfall records across the region, leading to widespread flight cancellations and the closure of more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Interstate 10, according to news reports.
On January 22, temperatures plummeted to single digits in southern Texas and Louisiana as an arctic air mass collided with a low-pressure system over the Gulf Coast. Baton Rouge recorded a temperature of 7 degrees Fahrenheit (−14 degrees Celsius), the coldest in the city’s 95-year weather record.
Blizzard Conditions Overwhelm the Gulf Coast
Blizzard conditions hit southwestern Louisiana, a region unaccustomed to such severe winter weather. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 miles per hour (50 to 65 kilometers per hour) combined with heavy snowfall, creating hazardous whiteout conditions. Several cities, including New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida, recorded their highest-ever snowfall totals for a single day. New Orleans received around 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow, while Pensacola saw 5 inches (13 centimeters).
Satellite Views of Snow-Covered Gulf Coast
Flakes continued to fall in the Carolinas and southeast Virginia on January 22, when the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image. Large swaths of the Gulf Coast look like a frozen tundra. Bright white snow along the winding course of the Mississippi River stands out.
“Many of the old river channels of the Mississippi can be seen in the image,” said Alex Kolker, a professor of coastal geology at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. “In a delta like this, riverbanks are higher than other areas because sediment was deposited here over many years. These lands accumulated a little more snow and show up brighter in the image.”
Historical Snowfall in Southern U.S.
The rare storm brought more snow to New Orleans than has fallen in Anchorage, Alaska, since the start of meteorological winter, noted the National Weather Service. Cold lingered in the south on the morning of January 23, and large stretches of Interstate 10 were still closed due to icy conditions.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview.
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