Opinions are mine … follow the NWS for local forecasts and assessments.
Afternoon numbers presented in these slides (temps & snow amounts) may vary a bit from the official NWS products, but they paint the general picture.
This is a SERIOUS winter weather event …
The combination of unusually high snow totals (by South Louisiana standards), prolonged and repetitive freezes, and
extreme wind chills makes this one for the books.
No, the snow totals aren’t record-breaking … nor are the minimum temps. However, the combination, especially when we consider a swath of 4” to 7” snows extending across South Louisiana – from the Sabine to the Pearl – is rare indeed.
The slides include a north-to-south sequence of hourly temperature & windchill series (Ruston, Alexandria & Lafayette … plus NOLA) for comparison.
For North Louisiana, snow is not going to be an issue. The I-20 corridor could get through this event ‘snow-free’. In fact, temperatures aren’t likely to be much different for northern parishes compared to the snow-covered southern parishes. But the northern folks will still need to prep for a Deep Freeze with hard freezes expected to occur each morning, right through Friday.
With temps essentially at/below freezing for most of the state throughout Tuesday … and temps only getting briefly above freezing for many on Wednesday, snow could still be a travel hazard for parts of South Louisiana into Thursday. We will have to see how that plays out … but South Louisiana residents may not be able to get around safely for the next 2-3 days.
BIG THANKS to the NWS & GOHSEP: both agencies focused on this event for more than a week!
Jay Grymes
State Climatologist
cell: 225-505-6916
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