Nearly 2,000 flights in and out of states impacted by a historic snowstorm in the South that has killed at least eight people overnight.
Winter Storm Enzo swept into Texas and Louisiana early Tuesday morning and then tracked eastward across the Gulf Coast, bringing severe winter weather to Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia.
As of Wednesday morning, one to 10 inches of snow have fallen across the Southeast.
Flight disruptions began Monday night. As of Wednesday morning, 999 flights departing from affected states have been cancelled today, as well as 940 flights landing in these states, according to FlightAware.com.
Travelers have been urged to check with their airlines about the status of their flights even if they are not flying to or from an airport in the Southeast, as delays could have a ripple effect across the country.
The casualties were cause traffic accidents and the deadly cold as some regions saw temperatures in the single digits.
Enzo’s impact on the Southeast has been historic and record-breaking. Measurable snow has only fallen south of Interstate 10 along the shores of the Gulf Coast a handful of times in recorded history.
Snow fell in New Orleans for the first time in over a decade, with some areas seeing up to 10 inches. The record-breaking accumulation toppled the previous in 1963 when 2.7 inches blanketed the city.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas shut down all flight operations Tuesday as Winter Storm Enzo moved into the Southeast. January 21, 2025
As of Wednesday, nearly 2,000 flights into and out of states impacted by the storm are cancelled, including at Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana, January 21, 2025
All-time snow records were also broken in Mobile, Alabama, which saw 7.5 inches of snow, and in Pensacola, Florida, which also received 7.5 inches.
Flight disruptions are expected to continue into Thursday even as most of the storm’s impact should taper off today.
‘This is a white-out in New Orleans, this is a snow-a-cane,’ David Delio, a high school teacher from The Big Easy, told CBS.
‘We’ve had tons of hurricane days but never a snow day.’
Photos and videos taken across the Southeast show snow blanketing highly unusual places, such as the beaches of coastal Alabama, palm-tree-lined yards in Florida and the iconic French Quarter of New Orleans.
Houston, Texas was a ‘ghost town’ early Tuesday morning as residents hunkered down for the storm, but people ventured out later in the day to experience the rare snowfall, Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack told AccuWeather.
‘I’ve talked to several people, this is the first time they’ve ever seen snow,’ Jayjack said. ‘This is a lifetime [event], something they’ll probably remember for the rest of their lives.’
But while many see this storm as a rare treat, it has also brought dangerous conditions to states that are largely underprepared for this kind of weather.
Enzo has led to at least eight fatalities, including a traffic accident In Zavala County, Texas caused by icy road conditions that killed at least five people, CNN reported.
Others have reportedly succumbed to the deadly cold, as this storm moved into the region at the same time as a frigid polar vortex that sent temperatures plummeting into the single-digits in some parts of Southeastern states.
Photos and videos taken across the Southeast show snow blanketing highly unusual places, including palm-tree-lined yards in Florida
The storm has created dangerous road conditions across the Southeast. Paxton, Florida; January 21, 2025
Widespread delays and cancellations caused by the storm are creating travel mayhem, as disruptions ripple have a ripple effect across the country. George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston TX; January 20, 2025
Two deaths in Austin, Texas are suspected to be cold-related, according to the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, though the official cause of death has not yet been determined.
Georgia officials reported one death from hypothermia at a Tuesday news conference, saying the victim was outside the night before.
What’s more, damages and economic losses related to this storm may total $14 to $17 billion, according to AccuWeather.
‘This has been the worst winter storm to hit the Gulf Coast in decades,’ AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
‘Businesses have been forced to shut down. Supply chain and shipping logistics have been severely disrupted.’
Multiple states declared a state of emergency ahead of Winter Storm Enzo, including Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Officials closed schools, roadways and airports as dangerous winter weather moved into the region earlier this week.
Both of Houston’s major airports — George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport — will reopen today after all flight operations were suspended Tuesday.
Damages and economic losses related to this storm may total $14 to $17 billion, according to AccuWeather. Galveston, Texas; January 21, 2025
Multiple states declared a state of emergency ahead of Winter Storm Enzo, including Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. New Orleans, Louisiana; January 21, 2025
Officials closed schools, roadways and airports as dangerous winter weather moved into the region earlier this week. New Orleans, Louisiana; January 21, 2025
Residents of affected states continue to face treacherous driving conditions today, with many major roadways remaining closed.
That including a section of Interstate 10 that runs from the Texas-Louisiana border to New Orleans, according to The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
As of Wednesday morning, the NWS has lifted winter storm warnings across the Southeast as the storm dies down, but much of the region is still at risk of life-threatening low temperatures today.
Southeast Georgia and northeast Florida are under a freeze warning that will remain in effect until 10am Thursday in some areas, with wind chill temperatures sinking as low as 15F.
The agency has also issued a freeze warning for the southern tip of Texas, warning of similarly low wind chill temperatures in cities such as Corpus Christi. This advisory will remain in effect until 11am CST.
Extreme cold warnings have been issued in New Orleans, southern Mississippi and Alabama, the Florida panhandle, the southwestern corner of Georgia, upstate South Carolina and western Virginia.
Wind-chill temperatures are expected to plummet as low as -15F in some areas, and the warnings will remain in effect until 12pm ET at the latest.
‘With the cold remaining in place, the impacts and interruptions from this winter storm will be felt for days to come,’ AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Porter said.
