Record-Breaking Snowstorm Hits Southern U.S., Leaving Thousands of Residents Without Power

Multiple cities in Texas, such as Midland and Waco, saw historic highs in snowfall

snow in Texas
Snowstorm in Texas. Photo: Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP

A major snowstorm has hit the southern part of the United States, leaving thousands of residents without power as they cope with a record-breaking amount of snowfall.

More than 150,000 residents were in the dark on Monday following the powerful snowstorm that swept through east and northeast Texas and Louisiana, CNN reported.

It appeared Texas took the brunt of the storm, with residents in Lamesa seeing between 8-12 inches of snow, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service (NWS) Midland.

The city also experienced poor visibility, extending just one-fourth of a mile, due to freezing fog, the service reported.

Elsewhere in the state, cities like Snyder, Hobbs and Tatum saw 6-8 inches of snow, according to the NWS Midland's tweet.

snow in Texas
Snow in Texas. Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune Herald via AP

In Midland, 3.2 inches of snow fell at their airport and Space Port on Sunday, marking the highest daily snowfall that the city has seen since 1962, the NWS Midland reported.

Waco also broke records with its 4.4 inches of snow — "the greatest snowfall total since 1982 and the 10th highest 24-hour snowfall event on record," the NWS Fort Worth confirmed in a tweet.

"And of course, it beats the daily record of 1.1" that was set in 1973," the NWS Fort Worth added.

Additionally, history was made in Austin and San Antonio, where residents saw up to 6 inches of snow, their local NWS tweeted. The last time that much snow fell in the area was on Christmas Day in 2004, according to the tweet.

Meanwhile, in Louisiana, up to half a foot of snow was reported to have fallen in the northern part of the state, per the Washington Post.

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As Monday progressed, the storm eventually moved east into southern Arkansas, central Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Alabama, leaving approximately 1-3 inches of snow, according to the outlet.

As of 8 a.m. CT, Jackson, Mississippi had reported at least 1.2 inches of snow — the most snowfall to hit the area since December 2017 — while Vicksburg saw 3.5 inches, the Washington Post reported.

In response to the bad weather, winter storm warnings were issued for eastern Louisiana and western Mississippi, according to the outlet.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development also urged residents to stay home in a video post on Twitter as they showed workers continuing to clear the roads.

According to the Washington Post, the storm is expected to bring rain to North and South Carolina on Monday night before moving its way into the Atlantic Ocean.

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