January 2025 has been an astonishing time for many residents living in the southern parts of the U.S. which has also caused meteorologists to work around the clock. They have been experiencing rare snowfall, some even for the first time in decades and others shattering their decades-old records. This winter storm is continuing to highlight the immense impact that global climate change has had on people across America.
The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service’s (NOAA) was able to capture “near real-time imagery of an Arctic air mass plunging into the Deep South, colliding with warm Gulf moisture to create ideal conditions for snow.” Many cities have been hit including Atlanta; Houston; New Orleans; Gulf Shores, Alabama; Milton, Florida; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Pensacola, Florida.
According to NOAA the preliminary snowfall reports of January 2025 alone include:
Atlanta; 3.2 inches of snow, which has surpassed its annual average of 2.2 inches.
Gulf Shores, Alabama; received 8.8 inches of snow.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; received around 4-5 inches of snow, with 6 inches reported in Conway, South Carolina.
Temperatures have also been dropping at high rates for much of the Southeast Coast of the U.S. ABC News has recorded the morning temperatures of these areas in the month of January 2025 as seen to the top right.
Kenton Gewecke who works for ABC News writes that for a majority of the Gulf Coast, “the snowstorm that’s expected to end soon was a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm,” with many areas seeing more snow than they have in at least 130 years, Gewecke includes.
Some parts of Texas have even reported power outages due to these intense weather conditions, and along with snowfall have recorded gusts of wind at up to 44 mph. New Orleans has experienced its heaviest snowfall in modern day records (since 1948) and the city’s largest total amount of snow in over a century. Southwest Louisiana and small parts of southeast Texas have been issued unprecedented blizzard warnings, which is the first in Louisiana’s weather history. New Orleans has accumulated periods of moderate to heavy snowfall, where wind gusts occasionally topped 35 mph and the city’s Lakefront Airport recorded near-blizzard conditions. Reports were sent from near Lafayette of thundersnow and closer to the coast, snow piled right up to the water in the Gulf. Florida is likely to have broken their state snowfall record. Held by Milton, Florida was the state’s snow record of 4 inches that was recorded on March 6, 1954, near Milton. Transitioning from a record of about 4 inches of snow to 9-10 inches within a month has been a challenge for many Florida residents, with Pensacola also breaking their snowfall record. Pensacola’s previous record was about 3 inches which was recorded in February 1895 and is now seeing close to 9 inches.
With the current state of these areas, many officials have warned the residents of these areas to limit their outside activity due to road conditions. Schools have even canceled classes due to the severity of the effects of this weather phenomenon in certain areas. This historical occurrence has caused a widespread panic that will hopefully soon come to an end.
Additional Sources:
–https://abc7ny.com/post/lifetime-snow-hits-gulf-coast-record-breaking-snowfall-florida/15825323/
