Written by Georgina McCartney and Brendan O'Brien
HOUSTON (Reuters) – A rare winter storm slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, bringing heavy snow, ice and gusts to an area that is unusual for wind gusts, while much of the United States remained in a dangerous deep freeze.
As the storm moved east, crews near Houston plowed highways, while downtown streets covered in white were nearly deserted during the morning rush.
In central Houston, a few people ventured out into the snow, while some restaurants and bars remained closed. The Houston Metro Railroad was running but passengers were rare. Schools were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as the city expected about 10 cm of snow to fall.
“I've been in Texas my whole life and I've never seen this depth of snow,” said Ishaan Bhaidani, 29, who owns a financial technology consulting firm in Houston. “It usually gets icier but this kind of fluffy snow is the first of its kind.”
Authorities in Houston are investigating two possible weather-related deaths, including a homeless man found dead near an apartment complex, the Harris County sheriff said.
Snow was also falling in New Orleans, where up to eight inches were expected to accumulate by the end of the day, threatening to tie the record set in 1895. The last time the city saw measurable snowfall was in 2009, according to For the National Centre. Weather service.
“Stay home and stay off the roads,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said as wind lashed her face with snow in a video message to residents on X.
The storm is expected to creep through Mississippi, Georgia and Florida early this week. Up to five inches of snow is expected in Mobile, Alabama, where such accumulations have not been seen in more than 60 years, according to the National Weather Service.
The service said a blizzard warning was in effect for 31 million people — from south Texas eastward through Georgia and north into North Carolina and into Virginia — from Tuesday through Wednesday morning.
Hundreds of flights to and from area airports were delayed or canceled Tuesday morning. About 960 flights departing from or heading to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were cancelled, according to Flightaware.com.
Temperatures on Tuesday are expected to drop to single digits F, well below freezing, across the region. Forecasters and local leaders urged residents to protect themselves from frostbite and take steps to prevent their water pipes from rupturing.
Across the South, the snowfall, combined with an inch of ice accumulation and wind gusts of up to 40 mph (64 kph), could make land and air travel difficult for several days, while threatening to down power lines and trees, according to What meteorologists said. He said.
In Southeast Texas, about 30,000 homes and businesses were without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
“Although we experienced some isolated outages, our system remained stable overall,” CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:), which provides electricity to the Houston area, said in a statement.
Texas ports and pilots, who help guide ships, suspended some operations Monday as cold weather swept through the state.
Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery, Alabama, opened warming centers and closed government offices in anticipation of the storm. According to local news, many school districts have canceled classes.
To the north, much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States was experiencing frigid temperatures, with the Arctic front expected to continue through at least Tuesday.
The weather service said the temperature reached -5 degrees Fahrenheit (-21 degrees Celsius) in Chicago, 5 degrees Fahrenheit in Cleveland, and 11 degrees Fahrenheit in New York City. Those morning readings were mild compared to the -39 F (-39 C) temperature recorded near Grand Lake, Colorado, the coldest area in the United States on Tuesday morning.
