Just over 8 inches of snow fell in New Orleans between Valentine's Day and Feb. 15, 1895, a record that remains unchallenged to this day, according to National Weather Service. Other cities in Louisiana saw even more snow, with 12.5 inches recorded in Baton Rouge, 14 inches in Lafayette and a whopping 22 inches of snow recorded in Lake Charles.

A National Weather Service office in Louisiana issued its first-ever blizzard warning on Tuesday amid snow and strong winds.

Schools are closed, snow is falling in places where it usually doesn't and freezing temperatures are sweeping across the South as a winter storm tracks across states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,

The cold temperatures are coming from a not uncommon expansion in the Polar Vortex, which are counter-clockwise rotating air currents that typically hang over the Arctic.

Local interstates and elevated bridges will close early Tuesday morning as freezing temperatures and snow impact the New Orleans area. Interstate 10 will be closed at 4 a.m. in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Charles parishes, according to DOTD.

Stay updated on road closures, power outages, and weather impacts as a rare winter storm brings snow and icy conditions to Louisiana.

ATLANTA — A rare winter storm charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday has closed highways and airports and prompted the first blizzard warning for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

Owen Reilly, 9, was using a metal cookie sheet. “It seemed like it was scientifically impossible for it to snow here,” Owen said, brushing white flakes from his hands. He had never seen it happen in his lifetime.

A former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has linked the devastating California wildfires to Hurricane Katrina that destroyed much of New Orleans in 2005. Craig Fugate,

Snow totals were rivalling all-time records. Officials were urging residents to take precautions and stay off roads.

In a shocking turn of events that shows the rarity of such a winter storm, a blizzard warning has been issued this morning for parts of far southwestern Louisiana, including the city of Lake Charles, and a few Texas counties just across the border.

Louisiana residents young and old raced outside Tuesday to enjoy an extremely rare snow day, celebrating the chance to pull out their gloves, scarves and hats from the back of their closets as they hurried to play in the several inches of snow that poured down across the state.