Snow breaks records in the sunny South of the USA

(Patria) - Sunny Florida and other parts of the southern USA are on track to record record snowfall, while many have a unique opportunity to see beaches covered in snow in federal states with a subtropical climate.

Snowballs flew down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, while children and parents in the so-called "Sun Belt" who didn't have sleds used inflatable alligators, laundry baskets, and yoga mats to slide on the snow, reports RSE.



A surprising 24.9 centimeters of snow fell near the small town of Milton, Florida, which, if confirmed, would break Florida's snowfall record from 1954.

- It's an incredible event - said meteorologist Michael Mugrage at the National Weather Service office in Mobile, Alabama, where some of the heaviest snowfall in the region occurred.

The amount of snow that fell near Milton is unofficial for now and needs to be confirmed by the Florida climate service.

Milton is located northeast of Pensacola, where 22.6 centimeters broke the city's previous snow record of 7.6 centimeters set in 1895.

In some places in the New Orleans area, 25 centimeters of snow fell, breaking the city's record of 6.8 centimeters from 1963, the National Weather Service reported.

Up to 10 centimeters of snow fell in the Houston area, a city that does not have snow removal machines for its streets, nor does it possess snowplows. Near La Porte, Texas, southeast of Houston, preliminary reports indicate 15 centimeters of snow fell.

More than 10 centimeters of snow fell in the Charleston area (South Carolina), where the airport and the large Ravenel Bridge were closed due to snowfall. The bridge was closed because water was freezing on the bridge cables, and then large pieces of ice could fall on vehicles, authorities said.

The Mobile Regional Airport in Alabama recorded 15.7 centimeters, breaking the city's snowfall record of 12.7 centimeters from January 24, 1881, the meteorological service reported.

There were also several unofficial reports of snow exceeding 23 centimeters in places on the Gulf Coast near Mobile.

The storm that brought so much snow also brought temperatures to record lows across the southern USA.



On Wednesday morning, it was so cold that Anchorage, Alaska, was warmer than Atlanta, New Orleans, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida, the meteorological service reported.

In Alabama, a temperature of -14 degrees Celsius was the third record low for the city of Mobile.

In the state of Louisiana, record low temperatures were recorded in the cities of New Iberia and Lafayette, meteorologists reported.

Wednesday's temperature of -17 degrees Celsius in New Iberia broke a record from 1962, while the temperature in Lafayette of -16 degrees Celsius broke a record dating back to 1899.