Last week, a historic snowstorm hit the Gulf of Mexico (now known as the American Gulf, Gulf of the United States) coast, causing snowfall in all 50 states of the United States this winter, a rare occurrence in the country. At the same time, the snowstorm brought about an unusual phenomenon: some cities in the southern region received more snowfall than some northern cities.
The snowstorm, named Enzo, was described by the U.S. National Weather Service as a “once-in-a-generation” weather event. The Houston Weather Bureau stated that this was the most significant winter storm in the greater Houston area since 1960. In the Houston-Galveston, Texas area, the snowstorm brought 6 inches of snow, forcing local schools to close.
The snowstorm swept from Texas to Florida, North Carolina, and the coast of South Carolina, causing widespread disruptions in transportation, with hundreds of thousands of people facing extreme cold. Major airports in Louisiana and Florida were closed due to record-breaking snowfall.
According to meteorologist Chris Dolce, the total snowfall in Lafayette and New Orleans, Louisiana, Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida exceeded the snowfall in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Nebraska, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota since autumn.
While it is not unprecedented for all 50 states in the U.S. to have snowfall in a winter season, having snow on the ground in all states at the same time is even rarer, a situation that last occurred in February 2010.
Florida is typically one of the states where snow is rarely seen, but this snowstorm set a new snowfall record for the state on January 21st. Several areas in the northwest of Florida received over 8 inches of snow, surpassing the previous single-day snowfall record of 4 inches set in Milton in March 1954. Jacksonville saw snowfall for the first time in 35 years.
Even Hawaii witnessed snowfall. Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island, with an elevation of over 13,000 feet, experienced its first snowfall of the season at the end of October, a common occurrence at that height each year. Nearby Mauna Loa volcano also had frequent snowfall.
This snowstorm resulted in a rare contrast between the north and south regions, with the snowfall in some southern cities being comparable to those closer to the north. For example, the snowfall in Lafayette, Louisiana (9 inches), was nearly on par with Chicago (9.2 inches), and not far off from Minneapolis (9.8 inches) this season.
New Orleans International Airport recorded 8 inches of snow, three times the record from over sixty years ago. Mobile, Alabama had 7.5 inches of snow, a first in over sixty years. Some areas in Mississippi had snow accumulation close to a foot.
In comparison, the snowfall in several northern cities was significantly below average. As of January 21st, snowfall in Salt Lake City was 22 inches below the seasonal average; Omaha and Sioux Falls were 11.7 inches and 16.3 inches below average, respectively. Snowfall in New York City and Philadelphia was 5 inches and 3 inches below average.