Unusual snow storm blankets Houston and New Orleans in white By Reuters

By Georgina McCartney and Brendan O’Brien

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A rare winter storm swept across the US Gulf Coast on Tuesday, bringing heavy snow, ice and strong winds to the region, while much of the United States it is still dangerously deep ice.

As the storm moved east, workers around Houston were plowing highways, while downtown streets, blanketed in white, were almost empty during the morning rush hour.

In downtown Houston, few people ventured out into the snow while some restaurants and bars remained closed. The Houston metro train was running but there were not enough passengers. Schools were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as the city expected about ten inches of snow to fall.

“I’ve been in Texas my whole life and I’ve never seen snow this deep,” said Ishan Bhaidani, 29, who owns a fintech consulting company in Houston. “Usually there is more ice but this kind of beautiful snow, this is a first.”

Houston authorities are investigating two possible weather-related deaths, including a homeless man who was found dead near an apartment complex, the Harris County Sheriff told X.

Snow was also falling in New Orleans, where as much as eight inches was expected to accumulate by the end of the day, threatening to tie the record set in 1895. The last time the city received snow though which can be measured by 2009, according to the National Weather Service.

“Stay home and stay off the roads,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said as the wind blew snow into her face in a video message to residents on X.

The storm is expected to make landfall in Mississippi, Georgia and Florida early this week. Up to five inches of snow was predicted for Mobile, Alabama, where such accumulations have not been seen in more than 60 years, according to the NWS.

A blizzard warning was in effect for 31 million people – from south Texas east through Georgia and north to the Carolinas and Virginia – on Tuesday through Wednesday morning, the service said.

Hundreds of flights in and out of the area’s airports were delayed or canceled Tuesday morning. About 960 flights from or to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport were canceled, according to Flightaware.com.

Temperatures were expected to drop Tuesday into the low 10s, below freezing across the region. Forecasters and local leaders have urged residents to protect themselves against the cold and take measures to prevent their water pipes from bursting.

Across the South, snow combined with ice accumulation and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour (64 kph) could make road and air travel difficult for several days, while threatening downing power lines and trees, predictors say. said.

In southeast Texas, about 30,000 homes and businesses were without power, according to Poweroutage.us.

“While we experienced a few isolated outages, our overall system remained stable,” CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: ), which provides electricity to the Houston area, said in a statement.

Texas ports and pilots, who help guide ships, suspended some operations Monday as cold weather hit the state.

Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery, Alabama, opened heating units and closed government offices in anticipation of the storm. Several school districts have canceled classes, according to local news.

To the north, much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States experienced very cold temperatures as the Arctic was expected to linger until at least Tuesday.

It was -5 degrees Fahrenheit (-21 degrees Celsius) in Chicago, 5 F in Cleveland and 11 F in New York City, the NWS said. Those morning readings were cool compared to -39 F (-39 C) recorded near Grand Lake, Colorado, the coldest place in America on Tuesday morning.