The Gulf Coast is still recovering from a snowstorm of a lifetime that hit from Texas to Florida. It closed airports, slowed down roads, and left behind freezing temperatures.
At least 11 deaths are attributed to this storm and its accompanying cold blast.
According to the local coroner, in Dale County in Alabama, a person died in a fire in their home after they left their stove on to stay warm. A second person also died in a car crash.
Officials said that two people in Austin, Texas died of cold and hypothermia, while one person in Georgia died.
The Texas Department of Safety reported that five people were killed southwest of San Antonio when a tractor-trailer collided with another vehicle on an icy highway.
According to the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office, in Moncks Corner (South Carolina), a 71-year-old man died shoveling snow.
This storm dumped more snow in some cities than at any time in the past 130 years.
Milton, located northeast of Pensacola, recorded 9.8 inches of snow, the most ever recorded in Florida.
Pensacola, Florida also set a record with 8.9 inches.
Texas had its first blizzard alert. Beaumont, Texas recorded 5.2 inches of snow, a record.
Mobile, Alabama saw a record-breaking 7.5-inch snowfall.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana saw 7.6 inches of snow.
New Orleans has seen the most snow since 1895, with 8 inches.
The danger is not over. A severe cold warning was issued Thursday morning, affecting the entire Gulf Coast from Mississippi to Florida Panhandle. Temperatures could drop as low as 12°F in some areas.
Jay Grymes, state climatologist, said that this is the coldest Louisiana has seen in more than 100 years.
Although the snow may have melted in some areas, freezing temperatures remain a threat. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue urges “everyone” to avoid “unnecessary travel.”
The temperatures will rise to the 50s or 60s on Sunday in many of the areas that were hard hit by the storm.
