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Winter storm hits Southern US, freezing temperatures and snow cause 8 deaths
Snow and sleet from Texas to the Deep South and Outer Banks caused ice buildup in cities like New Orleans, Atlanta, and Jacksonville.
A winter storm brought heavy snow, ice, and freezing temperatures to the southern United States on Wednesday, claiming at least eight lives and setting new snowfall records.
Starting in Texas and stretching through the Deep South to Florida and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, snow and sleet created ice buildup in cities like New Orleans, Atlanta, and Jacksonville.
At least eight people died due to the storm, which brought freezing temperatures and strong wind chills. Arctic air also caused a deep freeze in the midwest and eastern US, grounding many flights.
Government offices and schools for over a million students were closed, as they are more used to hurricane closures than snow days.
The 10-inch (25-centimeter) snowfall in New Orleans broke records, surpassing the total snowfall in Anchorage, Alaska, since December, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service predicted that dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills will continue across southern areas Thursday morning, with widespread frost lasting through the weekend.
However, high temperatures are expected to rise above freezing in places like New Orleans by Thursday, and in Tallahassee and the coastal Carolinas by Friday.
Snow and ice also shut down highways, including sections of the southernmost interstate, I-10. Elevated roads and bridges over Louisiana's bayous were particularly vulnerable to freezing.
In Charleston, South Carolina, it took nearly 16 hours for crews to reopen one side of the 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) Ravenel Bridge, which sees around 100,000 vehicles daily.
Icy conditions also caused trouble for drivers in Georgia, with troopers answering over 1,000 calls for assistance.
The storm, which triggered the first-ever blizzard warnings for parts of the Texas and Louisiana coast, also blanketed the white-sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida.
Snow covering South Carolina's beaches, from Hilton Head Island to Myrtle Beach's giant Ferris wheel, provided a rare chance to turn surfboards into sleds.
With AP inputs
