It's snowing in Houston: A blizzard warning is in effect for parts of the metropolitan area, with 4 to 6 inches of snow possible by Tuesday afternoon. Forecasters said this would be the most severe winter weather event since at least 1960. The National Weather Service advised drivers to stay off the roads “under all circumstances.” Texas' power grid, which was crippled by the massive 2021 winter storm, remained stable Tuesday morning.
cajun country 10 inch: A first-ever snowstorm warning is in effect for parts of southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas until noon local time, the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, announced. Up to 10 inches of rain could fall in some places, and forecasters warned that the snow could reduce visibility to less than 400 meters. New Orleans was forecast to see 4 to 6 inches of snow.
Not a normal emergency: Governors across the South, more accustomed to the threat of hurricanes than winter storms, have declared states of emergency. In some cases, school campuses were closed until Wednesday in Houston and Austin, Texas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tallahassee, Florida, and many other areas. School delays were also announced in South Carolina and Georgia.
Canceled flights: Houston's airport system, which includes George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Ellington Airport, announced it had suspended all flight operations at midnight. Most airlines at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport are suspended until Wednesday, airport officials said, adding that the airport will remain open “as long as conditions are safe.”
It's cold all over the country: Gulf Storm is part of a strong gust of arctic air sweeping across the country this week. It has already brought heavy snow to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic and frigid temperatures to the Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest. Wind chills of -30 degrees Fahrenheit were recorded overnight in the Texas Panhandle, and parts of Iowa recorded -37 degrees Fahrenheit.