A historic snowstorm has covered much of the Gulf Coast of the southern United States in record-breaking snowfall over the past week. Snow levels were recorded in Milton, FL, where the previous record of 4 inches of snow was broken by a recorded 9.8 inches of snow on Tuesday night. Other documents were broken in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana, with snow coating the city’s famous Bourbon Street and other parts of the French Quarter. The snow has caused several billion dollars in damage. Still, the blizzard’s impact was well mitigated in North Florida, with several parts of I-10 and multiple schools in the area being closed during the blizzard. Damage was insignificant in the state, though a flea market in the state capital of Tallahassee was closed due to its roof collapsing thanks to a significant snow buildup. 

Blair Halverson and his family Hayden, Casey, and Kelly walk back to their home on Tuesday in Pensacola amid record snowfall. [ LUIS SANTANA |Tampa Bay Times ]

The snowstorm, which moved across the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, also dumped record snow levels in other parts of the American Gulf Coast. Resort towns like Biloxi, MS, and Panama City, FL, experienced record levels of snowfall and low temperatures as the snow moved over the ocean. Several viral videos online show snow piling up on the sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast, eventually meeting the ocean. The snowstorms’ cause can likely be climate change and a stalled cold front over the Gulf of Mexico that allowed the blizzard to form and strengthen before it made landfall. Stunning satellite imagery from NOAA showed snow stretching from Houston to Northwest Florida before slowly melting away as the image proceeded further North.

Satellite imagery from January 22, 2025, showing historic snowfall coating much of the US Gulf Coast and Georgia. (NOAA)