Forecasters reported that snow started falling in the Houston area Monday night, adding that a historic winter storm that is predicted to bring rare snow and cold temperatures to the Gulf Coast region until midweek could affect over 55 million people.
By Monday evening, the storm is expected to bring ice and snow to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Houston, and other Southern cities.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport, two of Houston’s main airports, announced that they would halt flight operations Tuesday beginning at midnight.
Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana issued a warning on Monday, advising residents to stay indoors and take precautions to keep pipes from freezing.
At a press conference, he stated that staying off the road is crucial. Remain warm at home unless you have an urgent need to travel.
Forecasts predict that while the majority of the region will receive up to 4 inches of snow, some areas of Texas and Louisiana may receive up to 6 inches.
Snow has spread throughout southeast Texas and is expected to continue to intensify, according to the Houston National Weather Service office on Monday night.
By Tuesday, icy conditions should prevail in Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida, and moderate snowfall is anticipated along I-10 from New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle.
According to national forecasters, the Gulf Coast, where the majority of communities lack snowplows, might be severely damaged by the winter storm.
Officials were laying out a strategy for potential road closures, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development reported that it has 400,000 pounds of salt that it could apply to roads and bridges if necessary to deal with the snow and ice.
According to the National Weather Service, Louisiana will see temperatures below freezing on Tuesday morning, with wind chills in the teens in New Orleans and other areas of the state. According to the NOAA, Wednesday’s wind chills in southwest Mississippi are expected to be between 6 and 9 degrees.
Forecasters warned that freezing rain might spread northward into coastal North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The Florida Peninsula will get significant rainfall later in the week, along with snow off the Atlantic coast.
With temperatures 20 to 40 degrees below normal, forecasters issued cold alerts for 214 million people Monday, spanning from the Rocky Mountains to southern Texas and central Florida.
For more than 24 hours, temperatures in a number of Southern and Gulf Coast locations will drop below freezing, which could lead to infrastructure problems like widespread pipe breaks, experts warned.
Some areas of the Rockies, the northern Plains, and the Upper Midwest will experience temperatures as low as minus 55 degrees due to wind chills.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Northeast will experience wind chills below zero.
Finally, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama may set new chilly records.