Historic snowfall hits New Orleans and Florida, setting records (1 Viewer)

[Wingnut]

This is crazy, breaking snowfall records all over the place.

10-12 inches of snow in New Orleans, Louisiana (all-time record)

7.5 inches of snow in Mobile, Alabama (all-time record)

8 inches of snow and counting in Pensacola FL (new Florida record)

Ice hockey on Canal St:

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Snowball fight on Bourbon St:

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Jackson Square blanketed with snow:

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Destin on the Gulf of America covered in snow:

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12 inches falls in French Quarter:

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Night King sighting:

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[Alex P Keaton]

Wow!! That is all wild!!!
Wait - is this the real life start of that horrible Dennis Quaid movie where the world is ending?

 

[beer 30]

Wait - is this the real life start of that horrible Dennis Quaid movie where the world is ending?

Sadly not this time, will be pushing 70 in N'Orleans next week. Maybe next time https://weather.com/weather/tenday/...5ef2b5ede05b341e64aca7214323c3fc89b4b8244d11d

 

[Doug B]

Yeah, we're shut down for the duration. A very few roads in New Orleans proper are getting plowed, but us in the 'burbs will have to wait for it all to melt. My son's high school is closed through tomorrow, with the expectation that the roads will return to normal (or close enough) by late tomorrow afternoon.

Here's a good video rundown of how it was in and around the French Quarter, plus some reporting from Armstrong Airport ~10 miles west of the city. Lots of compelling visuals:

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[Doug B]

Sadly not this time, will be pushing 70 in N'Orleans next week. Maybe next time

I kind of do wonder that now that the "proof of concept" has been established, if we'll start having more frequent snow in the N.O. area. Or is this Mother Nature swishing a blindfolded three-pointer with a bowling ball?

 

[falguy]

Many years ago (early 90s?) we drove from Canada to Florida on our annual March break family vacation. I recall snow in Atlanta at that time, everything closed, blades were added to cement mixers to plow the interstate. Got to north part of Florida and it was freezing cold and no gas at any pump. They called it the storm of the century, or something catchy like that. From Kentucky to Georgia we were driving about 20 mile an hour due to the deep snow on the road. Just had to try and stay in the tracks. We did a 360 heading onto a onramp at one point. Temps were about freezing for our entire week in Orlando area. What a crappy vacation that was. I don't recall any snow in Florida, though, but it was March.

Does anyone remember this storm?

So, we can't blame this on Global warming, I don't think.

 

[beer 30]

Sadly not this time, will be pushing 70 in N'Orleans next week. Maybe next time

I kind of do wonder that now that the "proof of concept" has been established, if we'll start having more frequent snow in the N.O. area. Or is this Mother Nature swishing a blindfolded three-pointer with a bowling ball?

I work for the Climate Control division at my company and while I'm not sold on the whole climate change argument it's hard to deny a shift over the last 5-8 years in weather patterns. It gets cold in spots that don't get cold, it gets hot in places it didn't get hot before and we see these anomalies that locals "have never seen for as long as they can remember". What's that mean? Nothing, just get used to the one off stuff as it turns into more than one off I guess

And I do think Mother Nature likes to **** with us every once in a while to remind humanity who is really in charge.

 

[Doug B]

... it's hard to deny a shift over the last 5-8 years in weather patterns. It gets cold in spots that don't get cold, it gets hot in places it didn't get hot before and we see these anomalies that locals "have never seen for as long as they can remember".

What's funny is that they used to say that for it to snow in New Orleans, it had to get a lot colder than 32F -- that, say, 24-30F wouldn't be enough because of some kind of local conditions.

We used to actually, occasionally, get below 20F from time to time. Happened more frequently in the late 1970s - early 1980s. But even then, we wouldn't get snow.

So this "blizzard" hits us, and the temps were only in the high 20s. Kind of turning over the conventional wisdom about our local weather.

 

[playin4beer]

Snowmaggedon happening right now on the Lakeshore of West Michigan..

 

[Doug B]

Snowmaggedon happening right now on the Lakeshore of West Michigan..

See places like Michigan ... down here, we imagine you all have hip-deep snow and plows constantly going from Halloween to Easter every single winter. We don't know no better.

What counts as Snowmaggedon in Michigan vs. everyday, no-problem, still-gotta-to-to-school snow?

(Does salt on the roads really work THAT well? Wish someone here woulda thought of that ... maybe not worth it for a one-off, though)

 

[beer 30]

Snowmaggedon happening right now on the Lakeshore of West Michigan..

See places like Michigan ... down here, we imagine you all have hip-deep snow and plows constantly going from Halloween to Easter every single winter. We don't know no better.

What counts as Snowmaggedon in Michigan vs. everyday, no-problem, still-gotta-to-to-school snow?

(Does salt on the roads really work THAT well? Wish someone here woulda thought of that ... maybe not worth it for a one-off, though)

Born & raised in OH, left after 43 years and moved to SC. Had one kid that was about 10, one that was 5 when we moved. Neither had ever had a snow day in OH. Moved to SC and it dropped about 4" the first week they were in school here, shut the place down for 3 days. Couple weeks later same thing, shut down for 2 days. Both times snow was melted by noon same day but they just don't know how to deal with it here. My kids immediately fell in love with SC

We throw brine on the streets a day or two before but that's about it around here. We've had one good snow in the 17 or so years, I think I saw 2 of about the 10 plows SC owns around town but they are few and far between. Best to just wait it out because it won't last more than a few days.

 

[playin4beer]

Snowmaggedon happening right now on the Lakeshore of West Michigan..

See places like Michigan ... down here, we imagine you all have hip-deep snow and plows constantly going from Halloween to Easter every single winter. We don't know no better.

What counts as Snowmaggedon in Michigan vs. everyday, no-problem, still-gotta-to-to-school snow?

(Does salt on the roads really work THAT well? Wish someone here woulda thought of that ... maybe not worth it for a one-off, though)

We've had (3) snow days in a row this week so far. Monday and Tuesday were because the high temps were 1-2 degrees.. Today was because the lake effect snow machine kicked in and is currently burying us. 9" to 12" of new snow just today. Supposed to finally shut off tomorrow some time.

Every day no problem still gotta go to school would be temps in the range of 15 degrees and up and 2" to 6" of snow.. Colder than that or more snow than that, "snow day"..

Edit to add... Right now, the salt is not working at all, too cold.. Supposed to be partly cloudy and 35 degrees on Saturday which will feel like mid 70's.. roads will be clear.

 

[Gatorade]

Snowmaggedon happening right now on the Lakeshore of West Michigan..

See places like Michigan ... down here, we imagine you all have hip-deep snow and plows constantly going from Halloween to Easter every single winter. We don't know no better.

What counts as Snowmaggedon in Michigan vs. everyday, no-problem, still-gotta-to-to-school snow?

(Does salt on the roads really work THAT well? Wish someone here woulda thought of that ... maybe not worth it for a one-off, though)

Born & raised in OH, left after 43 years and moved to SC. Had one kid that was about 10, one that was 5 when we moved. Neither had ever had a snow day in OH. Moved to SC and it dropped about 4" the first week they were in school here, shut the place down for 3 days. Couple weeks later same thing, shut down for 2 days. Both times snow was melted by noon same day but they just don't know how to deal with it here. My kids immediately fell in love with SC

We throw brine on the streets a day or two before but that's about it around here. We've had one good snow in the 17 or so years, I think I saw 2 of about the 10 plows SC owns around town but they are few and far between. Best to just wait it out because it won't last more than a few days.

We got a couple inches of snow and ice on Hilton Head Island. The first snow in seven years. Everything is shut down. It does look pretty. This is not why I moved south.

 

[nirad3]

I have a ton of FB friends in Texas and Louisiana so got treated to a lot of fun pictures with what's going on out that way. When we were in Austin we got some snow dusting/ice a couple times but nothing like this.

 

[Doug B]

Supposed to be partly cloudy and 35 degrees on Saturday which will feel like mid 70's ...

You know .. right now it's 35F here and bright, bright sun. A super-clear day. And walking around in a long-sleeve waffle-weave T-shirt and sweatpants ( @offdee ) is totally comfortable. If I had to be outside for a spell working on the car or something, I wouldn't need to wear anything warmer. The sun reflecting off the snow is no joke.

The melt is on, but it's going to be a while before the lawns clear. Any lawns where nobody played or walked around still look blanketed in several inches of powder. At my place, the "kids" (ages 18-23) stamped down a lot of the powder ... yesterday's footsteps are today's slush patches. Any ice that's formed under the snow so far is rough and traction-able, so we've been lucky. I'm sure tomorrow, all the concrete around here will be an ice rink until mid-day.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Snowmaggedon happening right now on the Lakeshore of West Michigan..

See places like Michigan ... down here, we imagine you all have hip-deep snow and plows constantly going from Halloween to Easter every single winter. We don't know no better.

What counts as Snowmaggedon in Michigan vs. everyday, no-problem, still-gotta-to-to-school snow?

(Does salt on the roads really work THAT well? Wish someone here woulda thought of that ... maybe not worth it for a one-off, though)

We've had (3) snow days in a row this week so far. Monday and Tuesday were because the high temps were 1-2 degrees.. Today was because the lake effect snow machine kicked in and is currently burying us. 9" to 12" of new snow just today. Supposed to finally shut off tomorrow some time.

Every day no problem still gotta go to school would be temps in the range of 15 degrees and up and 2" to 6" of snow.. Colder than that or more snow than that, "snow day"..

Edit to add... Right now, the salt is not working at all, too cold.. Supposed to be partly cloudy and 35 degrees on Saturday which will feel like mid 70's.. roads will be clear.

To add to this — salt works really well if the temp is in the 20s. It doesn’t work basically at all if the temp is below zero. Good times in Chicago the past few days. The alley behind our house is glare ice and has been for days and days now.

 

[Doug B]

The alley behind our house is glare ice and has been for days and days now.

Do people in the North:

a) Learn to walk on slick ice, or
b) Just avoid it somehow?

Seems people still have to go outside to get mail, put out the trash, go get in their car, etc. Crouching a bit and walking slow seems to help, but I don't know that's 100% effective if you have to walk, say, 20 yards on slick ice.

 

[Wingnut]

The alley behind our house is glare ice and has been for days and days now.

Do people in the North:

a) Learn to walk on slick ice, or
b) Just avoid it somehow?

Seems people still have to go outside to get mail, put out the trash, go get in their car, etc. Crouching a bit and walking slow seems to help, but I don't know that's 100% effective if you have to walk, say, 20 yards on slick ice.

You learn, but slipping and falling is gonna happen once in a while.

Same with driving. I lived in MI for 11 years and I was really good at driving on snowy roads (icy roads are a different story). but seeing I-10 footage before it was closed, I wouldn't even THINK about trying to drive in it now...but it's been 30 years since I've driven in those conditions.

 

[ChiefD]

The alley behind our house is glare ice and has been for days and days now.

Do people in the North:

a) Learn to walk on slick ice, or
b) Just avoid it somehow?

Seems people still have to go outside to get mail, put out the trash, go get in their car, etc. Crouching a bit and walking slow seems to help, but I don't know that's 100% effective if you have to walk, say, 20 yards on slick ice.

Short steps.

As one of brother's ship captains said once: Slow Pro, Fast As*.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Does salt on the roads really work THAT well?

Yes. But it only prevents snow from laying on the road for a short amount of time. It’s much better at melting and preventing refreeze after the plow

 

[Doug B]

Stuff I Just Learned ...

1) "Why do people up North have to have a mud room? ... Oh ... "

2) "Why do Canadians usually not wear their shoes in the house? ... Oh ..."

(The rug inside the front door was drenched yesterday. I thought the snow magically stayed outside when people went back and forth?)

3) "Why do skiers wear sunglasses? It's not hot out there on the slopes ... Oh ..."

(Seriously. I came back in from outside and it felt like my retinas were burning Dumb Cajun! )

 

[beer 30]

3) "Why do skiers wear sunglasses? It's not hot out there on the slopes ... Oh ..."

(Seriously. I came back in from outside and it felt like my retinas were burning Dumb Cajun! )

They call it snow blind and it is real. Pure white + sun = burn your eyeballs out ala Indian Jones nazi's staring at the Arc of the Covenant.

 

[MAC_32]

The alley behind our house is glare ice and has been for days and days now.

Do people in the North:

a) Learn to walk on slick ice, or
b) Just avoid it somehow?

Seems people still have to go outside to get mail, put out the trash, go get in their car, etc. Crouching a bit and walking slow seems to help, but I don't know that's 100% effective if you have to walk, say, 20 yards on slick ice.

Actually, slow movement increases the likelihood of slippage. Shoulder width base, assertive steps, stay square, and don't drag your feet. I don't run in icy conditions as much as I used to, but add high stepping to the above, especially when turning.

 

[Sand]

New Orleans is the new Buffalo, except it's Gulf effect snow rather than lake effect snow.

 

[Kanil]

Only got about 3 inches here in Colorado. Roads are all dry after yesterday. We did get a few really cold nights for Colorado (-15ish) but are looking to be in the 40s for most of the next week or so. Tshirt weather!

 

[Max Power]

in NC - I had yesterday off for snow. Today was a late arrival for ice on the roads. Not the worst snow I've experienced over the last 15 years here, but top 2-3. Kids had a blast.

Southern folk can't drive in the snow for anything. It really is crazy to witness.

 

[Max Power]

New Orleans is the new Buffalo, except it's Gulf effect snow rather than lake effect snow.

We're going to have to change the name back to Gulf to Mexico at this rate.

 

[Kanil]

in NC - I had yesterday off for snow. Today was a late arrival for ice on the roads. Not the worst snow I've experienced over the last 15 years here, but top 2-3. Kids had a blast.

Southern folk can't drive in the snow for anything. It really is crazy to witness.

I was stationed in southern New Mexico in the late 90s. If we got any snow at all, the roads were like an ice rink. I think in places where it rarely rains/snows, you get more buildup on the roads and once it gets wet, all that oil and crud turns it into skate city.

 

[Doug B]

I think in places where it rarely rains/snows, you get more buildup on the roads and once it gets wet, all that oil and crud turns it into skate city.

In my immediate neighborhood, we've been lucky with this. Residential streets are "domed" as a rain-fighting measure, so run-off runs off rapidly. Yesterday, with bright sun all day, the melt was on even with air temperatures only in the mid-30s. I expected glass-slick streets and driveways outside this morning shortly after sunrise, but there was actually very little ice at all. Close to the house on pavers and such where people have been walking around ... yes, ice formed there. But once I was out onto the driveway and in the street, walking around was a breeze -- footing was fine.

The snow blanket on the lawn was 9-10" of powder two days ago. Today, it's 1/4" of powder on top of a few inches of packed-firm "icy snow".

 

[heckmanm]

The alley behind our house is glare ice and has been for days and days now.

Do people in the North:

a) Learn to walk on slick ice, or
b) Just avoid it somehow?

Seems people still have to go outside to get mail, put out the trash, go get in their car, etc. Crouching a bit and walking slow seems to help, but I don't know that's 100% effective if you have to walk, say, 20 yards on slick ice.

Actually, slow movement increases the likelihood of slippage. Shoulder width base, assertive steps, stay square, and don't drag your feet. I don't run in icy conditions as much as I used to, but add high stepping to the above, especially when turning.

Also walk with your weight over your front foot, rather than stepping your leg out in front of you. Link

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I think in places where it rarely rains/snows, you get more buildup on the roads and once it gets wet, all that oil and crud turns it into skate city.

In my immediate neighborhood, we've been lucky with this. Residential streets are "domed" as a rain-fighting measure, so run-off runs off rapidly. Yesterday, with bright sun all day, the melt was on even with air temperatures only in the mid-30s. I expected glass-slick streets and driveways outside this morning shortly after sunrise, but there was actually very little ice at all. Close to the house on pavers and such where people have been walking around ... yes, ice formed there. But once I was out onto the driveway and in the street, walking around was a breeze -- footing was fine.

The snow blanket on the lawn was 9-10" of powder two days ago. Today, it's 1/4" of powder on top of a few inches of packed-firm "icy snow".

All of this is what I would have expected based on a life lived in snow plus time spent in NOLA over the years.

It’s really cool that you all had so much snow. Despite being disruptive, it’s super cool.

 

[Doug B]

Despite being disruptive ...

Now, this is where the work-from-home ethic works in favor of the local white-collar employers. I've been working my regular hours all week.

 

[Doug B]

My son reports that the lingering snow, right now, is just right for rolling large Frosty-the-Snowman "boulders" of snow. Yesterday, it was packing OK but hard to build up to larger than a cabbage. Moisture levels in snow is apparently an exacting thing, depending on what you want to do with the snow. Great for downhill skiing <> great for making Olaf in your yard.

EDIT:

Stuff I Just Learned ...

4) "Why did all the snowmen look so pitiful on the first day of fresh snowfall? ... Oh ... "

 

[Al Czervik]

Was just staying down in Pensacola Beach to visit family. Drove back to Michigan yesterday. Was a sheet of ice with an average speed of around 35 all the way up to around Montgomery, AL. Crazy. Never going to FLA in January again.